Love At Long Distance
by Mikauzoran
Summary: Hakuba fled to England to escape the man that turned his world upside-down and broke his heart. Can Kaito win him over and get him back to Japan? Can the detective and thief make it work across continents?
1. Hakuba Saguru

Mikau: Hello there! Welcome to old friends and newcomers alike. Thank you so very much for taking an interest in this fic. My inspiration? I saw a seagull on campus the other day and thought, "You lost, Sweetheart?" Kind of like a hawk in Tokyo. I might have seen one when I was at the zoo, though…no, that was in the Kyoto zoo. Anyway, I like seagulls; they remind me of Yokohama. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It could probably use some more polishing, but I had fun writing it, and I'm happy with it as is.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I'd have an episode where Kid steals something completely random. Like a flag or Saguru's deerstalker cap or a rubber ducky paperweight made out of crystal. Something _random_. Detective Conan needs more fun, light, what the heck? episodes. Homicide gets depressing after a while, don't you think?

…

Hakuba Saguru

"It was really weird. I was out on a walk today, and I saw this random hawk. It made me think of you. Strange, right?" read the text that had woken him up at three in the morning (three twenty-two and thirty-six seconds, but what did it matter at three in the bloody morning?).

Hakuba Saguru sighed, setting the phone back down on his nightstand and rolling over.

"_It isn't really that strange,"_ he thought, mind still clouded over from sleep. _"I think of you whenever I see a dove."_

The detective went back to sleep without responding.

In the morning, he thought he had dreamed it until he went to check his messages for information on the case he was working on.

Saguru frowned.

Did he mean that it was strange that he had thought of the blonde, or strange that he had seen a hawk in the middle of Tokyo? Both were a little peculiar seeing as the two had never talked, texted, or hung out when Saguru had been in Japan. What reason had the other boy to think of the detective? There were also precious few hawks in Tokyo.

Hakuba didn't reply to the message.

000

"Aoko beamed me with her mop today, and it hurt! I'm going to have bruises the size of my ego tomorrow!" the next text, nearly a month later, said.

This one had come right around twelve fifty (-three and fifty-two seconds). First period had just started for the students of Ekoda High.

Saguru still had a few hours before he had to be conscious, and he was not happy to be awake before necessary.

He turned his phone on silent and thought, "You probably deserved it," and "If the bruise were the size of your ego, it'd cover your whole body."

In the morning he wondered if the fool was okay. Sometimes Aoko-kun did hit a little hard.

Saguru remembered the desks she'd accidentally smashed in half.

Girls were scary. That was why he preferred men.

000

"Akako-chan misses you. She was talking the other day about how you had always been fun to freak out. You've been gone for almost six months now. When are you coming home?" This specimen had arrived at seven o'clock on the dot (give or take two seconds—give in this case) two weeks later.

Saguru frowned.

It was three in the morning in Japan.

What in blue blazes was that idiot doing lying awake, texting him?

He stared at his phone for a good, long while, debating.

It was so much easier to ignore the texts when they came in the middle of the night when his brain was focused on getting back to sleep.

He considered "I _am_ home," and "Go to sleep, Kuroba," but in the end, he didn't reply.

000

"Aoko says 'hi,'" arrived a few days later.

"Science class is soooooo boring!" came two days after that.

The following night he received, "You should tutor me in English. I've been told my accent sucks."

The next night it was, "What are you up to?" At four in the morning.

Saguru growled, grabbing his phone and angrily typing away, "SLEEPING! Whathe blooody hell do you thnk Im doing? Its for in the sodding morning! Leave me the hell ALONE!"

He hit the send button before turning the hated device off and going back to sleep.

He was extremely confused the following morning when he turned his phone on and saw a message that simply read, "Sorry."

He blinked.

Sorry? Sorry for what?

And then he looked at his text log and felt like a total jerk.

He quickly typed out a sincere apology, explaining that he hadn't meant a word of the previous text. He had just been cranky because it was early.

He mentally berated himself the entirety of the following week. _"Smooth move, Sherlock. Don't talk to your crush for six months, and that's the first thing you say to him?"_

EX-crush, he had to remind himself.

He had fled to England to escape the magician-thief that had turned Saguru's world upside down.

000

It was another month before he heard from the other teen. During that time his unhealthy obsession had come back with a vengeance.

He couldn't get the brunette out of his head, so when he received, "So…do you guys hear much about Kid in the papers?" he was overjoyed.

Saguru quickly responded, "Sometimes," before he realized that it was well past midnight in Japan. "I did not mean for you to stay up late in order to communicate with me. I don't mind if you text whenever it's convenient for you," he added.

"I was up anyway. :P" the brunette responded instantly. "How've you been?"

The European sleuth paused before responding.

This was unhealthy. He shouldn't be talking with his former crush like that. It would set him back months of therapy and self-discipline.

"You should go to sleep, Kuroba. You have school in a few hours." Saguru would not give in to temptation.

"I can just sleep in class. What are you up to over there? Are you coming home soon? You're going to fall behind in school if you don't, and I know how important your grades are to you. You'd probably be able to catch up quickly, since you're so smart, but…you are coming home soon, aren't you?"

"No. Good night."

And with that, he turned off his phone.

Why was the brunette so interested in Saguru returning to Japan, anyway?

000

A few days later, the magician texted the detective right before dinner. It was even later at night than the previous text. "The Taskforce is having a hard time of it without you. Maybe you should come back and give them a hand; Kid sent this notice last week, and they still haven't figured it out. Care to try your hand at it?"

Saguru looked at the attached heist note and snorted. It may have been challenging to some, but to the blonde it was child's play. "I'll inform Inspector Nakamori tomorrow morning. That was comically simple, Kuroba. I think you've lost your touch while I've been away."

"Do you seriously still think that I'm Kid?"

"Kuroba, I _know_ that you're Kid."

000

"I'm booooored," the magician complained a week later.

"Then go to sleep. It's two in the morning," Saguru insisted, still baffled as to why the other boy was staying up to talk with him of all people.

"No. I mean in general at school without you there," Kaito clarified.

"Why? We never interacted at school other than the occasional argument," Saguru replied and then waited anxiously for the response.

"Clearly you underestimate how much joy those occasional arguments brought to my life," the detective could just imagine the older teen chuckling.

"Get your girlfriend to chase you with a mop, then. You always seem to get off on that," the blonde responded, sighing.

He just had to go and remind himself that his crush—ex-crush…well, more like ex-ex-crush at this point—was not romantically available.

And then he received a message from God…well, actually from Kaito, but it was an answer to his prayers nonetheless: "She's NOT my girlfriend. Let's be clear, Hakuba; there's nothing of a romantic nature going on between Aoko and me."

Well, hallelujah.

000

The private eye got a message the following day that read, "I bet Kid's bored too without you to chase him. The Taskforce is getting on in years, and Tantei-kun only comes when directly challenged. Too busy solving all the crazy murders in Beika. Promise me you'll stay out of Beika when you come back, Hakuba. I'd hate for anything bad to happen to you."

Saguru's heart skipped a beat, and he knew he was done for. Who would have thought he'd fall for the same man twice?

"I'll do my best to avoid it when possible. Thanks, Kuroba. Who's Tantei-kun?"

"Edogawa Conan. Freaky-smart kid with glasses too big for his face. You've met him, haven't you?" Kaito replied.

The detective nodded. "Yes. We've met."

000

"There were gunmen at the Kid heist tonight. A couple officers got nicked, but everyone made it out okay. I was really glad that you weren't there," Kaito wrote several weeks later.

"Are you okay?" Hakuba demanded.

"I'm fine (shrug). Kid got shot, and no one knows whether he's okay or not. They haven't found a body or a blood trail or anything, so there's probably still hope. I'm okay, though. I got out of there as soon as the gunshots sounded. I figured I should let you know what happened, since you think I'm Kid."

"Kaito, if you're hurt, make sure you get proper medical treatment. That's an order," the detective typed furiously.

"I'm fine. ^.~ Thanks for worrying about me…Saguru."

The blonde blushed, blinking in confusion until he realized that he had accidentally called the other teen by his given name first.

000

"How are you, Kaito?" Saguru texted his crush the following day during the lunch break.

"I told you, I'm fine, Saguru." The magician sent a picture along with his text. He was winking, giving the detective the peace sign. "See?"

"I'm glad. There was an article in the paper this morning about your…I mean Kid's heist last night. I'm really glad that you're okay."

"Thank you~ 3"

It was right around that time that Saguru began to let himself consider the possibility that maybe Kaito was interested in the blonde as well.

000

They exchanged texts over the next few weeks that bordered on flirting.

Saguru's favorite exchange had been when Kaito had asked, "Hey, what are you wearing?"

The detective had replied, "Tan slacks and a burgundy sweater over a white collared shirt. Why? What are you wearing?"

"Not a stitch," the imp replied. "JK! Just jeans and a grey, long-sleeved shirt. Man, what I wouldn't give to see your face!"

"Take your pick," Hakuba chuckled, sending Kaito three pictures. In the first he was rolling his eyes. The second featured him making a disgusted face, and the third was of him licking his lips.

"Ooh~ 3Door number three, please. Hey, do you know how to have phone sex? I'd be interested in learning. Lol!"

Saguru's entire face turned magenta. "You're such a tease, Kaito. :P"

"I loooove you 3 :P" and a picture of Kaito blowing him a kiss.

000

"When are you coming home?" Kaito demanded that Christmas Eve.

"I'm not sure," Saguru answered honestly. "Maybe soon. Maybe not for a long time. Probably somewhere in the middle."

"Well, get sure," the magician snapped, but instead texted: "Well, let me know so we can hang out, okay?"

"You'll be the first person I tell," Hakuba promised.

"So…Merry X-Mas Eve. Got anyone special that you plan on celebrating with?" Kaito held his breath.

Saguru chuckled. "Christmas is more of a family holiday here. We don't go on dates…but…no. Even if it were date night, I would still be alone." He paused before nervously adding, "How about you? Are you celebrating with anyone?"

"Just you. 3 I'll be going to the Nakamoris' for the annual party tomorrow, though. Merry Christmas, Saguru."

"Merry Christmas, Kaito," the detective replied with a smile.

000

"So…I heard a rumor that Kid was planning a heist in London over the winter break. If that turns out to be true, I was thinking about going. Wanna hang out while I'm in the country?"

The blonde's mind exploded.

Kaito? Here? In England?

The thought of seeing the other teen again was terrifying. What if Kaito hadn't meant anything by all of the flirting and teasing? What if he had meant it and they started dating but things went up in flames?

Hakuba couldn't take the heartbreak again. He'd rather continue to play the waiting game, texting back and forth, flirting via phone over starting a real, tangible relationship with the guy and ending up losing him. He'd run away to England for a reason.

"I'm sorry. I'm busy." Best to put the issue of seeing Kaito again off as long as possible.

"? But I haven't even given you a date or a time yet."

"I've got a lot of work to do. I'll be traveling around for various cases, so I won't have a lot of time. I'm sorry." It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth.

"You don't think you'll be able to sneak away to spend time with me for even a day?" Kaito returned.

"Most likely not. I'm sorry."

"Do you not want to see me?" the magician responded.

"That's not it," Saguru replied.

"Then what's the problem?"

"I told you. I'm going to be very busy. I'm sorry."

"Forget it." And that was the last of Kaito that Saguru heard for almost a week.

000

"Happy New Year," the message said. It was midnight exactly in Japan. "You doing anything to celebrate?"

Saguru smiled, setting down his book. He had thought he'd blown it. "Happy New Year, Kaito. I'm just hanging out around the house. You?"

"Same. Everyone's too busy." The blonde could almost hear the pout in Kaito's voice.

"Then I'll celebrate with you," Saguru offered.

"I wish you really could. I've been really down lately. I'm lonely," the older teen confessed.

"Really? You always seem energetic whenever we talk. I'd had no idea; I'm sorry. Is there anything that I can do?" The detective's brow furrowed in worry.

"No. Not all the way from England, no."

000

He checked in with Kaito every day after that, sometimes multiple times a day. He stayed up late, woke up early, did whatever he needed to do to get in touch with his crush.

They talked about everyday things—school, family, food, crime. There were a lot of silly, pointless things along with the mundane. A new pair of jeans Kaito had picked up, a first edition book Saguru had finally gotten his hands on, and a new trick that the magician had perfected to name a few.

It was February fourteenth in Japan when Saguru texted his love, "So…did you receive a lot of chocolates?"

"I had to get Aoko _and_ Akako-chan to help me carry them home. And, geez, the confessions! I had to sit through five!"

Hakuba hummed thoughtfully. "You make it sound like a chore."

"It is!" the brunette replied emphatically (well, as emphatically as humanly possible through a text-based medium). "Do you know how tiresome it is to have to tell five girls that you already have someone you like? It's hard breaking hearts! It's really hard sitting there and listening to them talk about how much they love you when they don't even know you…when you just wish it was someone else doing the confessing. It's draining, Saguru."

The detective's ears perked up. "I'm sorry, Kaito. There's someone that you're interested in?"

"Yeah. So when are you coming home? I haven't seen you in an f-ing year, Saguru. I want to see you."

"Why? Why is it so important to you?" the Englishman inquired, holding his breath and crossing his fingers.

"It just IS. I miss you, you idiot. I want to talk with you face to face. I wanna hang out, so get your butt back to Japan. NOW." The magician sounded incensed.

Saguru took a deep breath and slowly typed out, "On one condition."

"I'm waiting, Saguru." Yes, his beloved was definitely ticked.

"Kuroba Kaito, will you go out with me?" He hit send and began to pray to whomever was listening.

"YES! 3 3 3" was the instantaneous reply. "God, I thought you'd never ask! Yes, yes, yes!"

"Thank God," Saguru sighed in relief. "You have no idea how happy you've made me."

"Probably about as happy as you made me when you asked. Now, when are you coming HOME, Honey?" Kaito's response elicited a fond chuckle from the blonde.

"Right away, Dear. I'll make arrangements and be on my way to you by tomorrow night," he promised, already starting his mental list of preparations.

"Stop dilly-dallying and get to it!" the magician commanded. "I'll talk to you later. XOXOXO"

"Yes, Darling. Hugs and kisses right back at you."

000

Approximately forty-eight hours later (he was so nervous that he hadn't kept a precise count) the plane landed at the gate at Tokyo Narita Airport, and he was on his way through customs.

It was a fairly painless ordeal, and he quickly found himself walking out the doors into the public area of the terminal.

And there was Kaito, fidgeting in his seat, looking at the arrivals board and glaring down at his watch. He looked up, their eyes met, and all of a sudden, a gigantic smile bloomed on both of their faces.

Kaito sprang to his feet and quickly trotted over to his boyfriend's side. He chuckled softly, still grinning madly. "Hey there."

"Hey," Saguru returned, not trying to disguise his movements as he scanned Kaito up and down.

"Like what you see?" the magician teased, secretly dying of anxiety. He'd changed clothes, like, eight times.

"I love it," the detective chuckled.

Kaito threw his arms around the blonde, laughing joyously. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Saguru replied, wrapping his arms around Kaito's torso and waist. He hesitantly pressed his lips to the smaller teen's cheek.

The brunette grinned, leaning in and gently taking Saguru's lips. "Let's go home so that you can show me how much you missed me."

"Down boy," Saguru chuckled fondly at his eager boyfriend. "We just started dating. I was thinking we would start somewhere along the lines of dinner dates and phone conversations. There will be plenty of time for the rest later."

"Fine, but you're paying. Can we at least snuggle? I need some physical contact here." Kaito grabbed one of Saguru's suitcases and intertwined his fingers with the blonde's with his free hand.

"I have a couch in my room that would be perfect for snuggling. Help me get my luggage to my room, and I'm all yours," the logical half of the couple proposed.

"Deal," Kaito replied, giving his boyfriend's hand a reassuring squeeze.

They smiled and made their way to the baggage claim, walking as quickly as possible.

All of the apprehension was gone now that they were finally together.

Saguru could feel himself start to breathe easily.

They were a good match. If their relationship had done as well as it had while they were separated by time difference and country boarders, what lay in store for them now that they were finally together in the same physical location?

Kaito shot him an infectious grin, and Saguru knew that everything would be just fine.

….

**_l:::::l_**

**/\**** (**O_**^)**

Mikau: It's my Kaitou Kid emot. So that was it. What did you think? I'd be very much appreciative if you'd send in some feedback, if you have the time; it's very useful. I'm planning on writing a second chapter from Kaito's point of view, but it may take a while to get up since next week is midterms. Fortunately, I'm starting to get over my just-got-back-from-Japan depression, so I should be able to write more easily. It's so difficult to write when your mind is elsewhere. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Kuroba Kaito Part One

Mikau: Hey everyone! Great to have you back for the second installment. Thanks so much for returning to read. Thanks as well to Aniki-xvi and Syrus07 who reviewed! This chapter shows the events of last chapter from Kaito's point of view. Oddly enough, even though they're two sides of the same story, the chapters have very little dialogue in common. Kaito also mentions events that Hakuba leaves out of his account, such as what happened after they got home from the airport and certain conversations. Anyway, Kaito's a little loony this chapter, just to forewarn you. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, the characters would have more of a family presence. Has anyone else noticed that the majority of the characters are only children with parents that are largely MIA? Shinichi, Ran, Heiji, Kazuha, Kaito, and Saguru are all only children. With the exception of the Osakan duo, the rest of the characters are missing at least one, but more commonly both of their parents. I think Sonoko is the only one with a sibling and two parents. Why I wonder?

…

Kuroba Kaito Part One

Kuroba Kaito had been feeling…off. Yes, "off" was a good word to describe it.

He was bored, the intense desire to do something—anything!—gnawing at him constantly like a mosquito bite in the center of his back. Only, Kaito was quite flexible and could easily reach the center of his back if he had to scratch, but… He felt listless and drained as well.

The normally active, cheerful teen wanted to do everything and nothing all at the same time, and as the days rolled by, the warring impulses got stronger and stronger until he considered consulting a psychiatrist about the possibility of bipolar disorder.

The mood swings were debilitating, and his classmates were beginning to notice. Something had to be done. Things couldn't continue this way.

But Kaito was absolutely clueless as to the origin of his strange malaise, and that left him with nowhere to start, no diagnosis, no prognosis, and no treatment plan.

Aoko was the first to propose an illness: Lovesickness.

"Kaito, are you having a fight with your girlfriend?" the nosey girl asked in that annoyingly high, false voice she used when she wanted to pester him. "You've been sulking lately, you know."

"I haven't been sulking," he huffed, turning to look out the window. "And I don't have a girlfriend," he added, but only inside the confines of his own mind.

"Yes you have. You've been sulking since the school year started," Aoko snorted, puffing out her cheeks like a little girl. "Aoko knows when Kaito's sulking, and Aoko wants to know what's wrong!"

The magician simply sighed. "I don't even know, so it's a waste of time to ask."

He stood with another heartfelt sigh and tossed, "I'm going home early," over his shoulder as he left.

There was a pop, and he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

000

The rest of the day was spent wandering.

He stopped by a few arcades, killed an hour or two reading manga at the Akihabara Book Off, and finally made his way to Ueno Park. He watched some street performers for a half an hour, dropped by the Benzaiten shrine, and decided to visit the zoo on a whim.

He hated zoos—absolutely loathed them. When he was little, he had enjoyed watching the pandas eat and the tigers pace, but now that he was old enough to understand, zoos had become the same as prisons to him. The panda ate because there was nothing else worth doing. The tiger paced because it was bored out of its skull.

Kaito stared at the jaguar for a very long time as it walked back and forth, tracing the exact same path time and time again. He thought, "That'll be me some day, if I'm not careful. They'll put me in a little cage where I can't run, can't fly, and they'll all watch me as I pace, slowly slipping into madness day by day. Best to be careful, then."

The monkeys and the seals were the zoo's salvation. The simians looked to be having a grand time—climbing, swinging, yowling at each other. The seals gracefully sailed through the water in the much-too-small tank, doing turns and then breaking the surface with a pop.

The elephant was the saddest. There was only one.

"Herd animals shouldn't be alone like that. They should be with their families," the orphan muttered under his breath, trying not to think of the empty house that was waiting for him.

Mom was off on a trip, like always.

He was about to leave when a pair of golden eyes caught and held his gaze. They were beautiful, glimmering in the twilight, and they seemed to look right through him. It was as if they could see everything.

Kaito hadn't felt that way since February when another magnificent, golden-eyed creature had blatantly stared at him.

It was a little eerie how this caged hawk at the zoo and Hakuba Saguru had the same gaze in addition to a similar shade of eye color.

Kaito blinked and turned to leave.

Hakuba Saguru.

It had been a long time since he'd thought about the absent detective. Come to think of it, the restless-listlessness had started shortly after the blonde had left for England, using "family matters" as an excuse.

Kaito knew that the Brit had left because of him…his alter ego, rather. He could tell that the other teen had gotten tired of losing their little game of cat and mouse—it had taken a huge toll on the blonde's inflated ego and haughty attitude.

It was then that Kaito realized it: he missed the uptight twit. Not really in an emotional, touchy-feely, friends type way, but he missed the detective. More than anything he wanted Hakuba to come back and chase him. THAT was what had been missing from his life, making him feel off.

He was off because he lacked an adequate opponent. While Nakamori-keibu was great and everything, he kept falling for the Kid dummies while the real kaitou slipped away unnoticed. The taskforce couldn't crack intricate riddles, so Kaito had been forced to go back to date-time-place-target heist notes. Kudo Shinichi (or whatever it was he was calling himself these days) was a worthy playmate, but he seemed too busy with his never-ending supply of horrendous murders to join in the fun, unless expressly invited. In short, without Hakuba to chase him and push his mind to its limits, Kaito was about as good as the caged tiger.

Thoughts of his missing rival filled the young thief's head for several days after that until one day during lunch break, Kaito pulled out his mobile and searched his phonebook for the blonde's number. Hopefully Hakuba was still using the one Kaito had saved when the Brit had called from France.

Kaito paused and stared at the screen.

What was he doing? The detective and thief weren't exactly friends. It wasn't as if the brunette could simply call the other boy up for a conversation for old times' sake. He had no reason to call the detective.

A text would be more appropriate, but what would he say? "Hey! How have you been? I know we haven't ever talked before, but I miss you. It's really affecting my ability to function, so please come back home and chase me to relieve some of my boredom, okay?" Yes, that would go over so terribly well.

He sighed deeply.

What the hell was he doing? He should take up a hobby like…sky diving or something to get his mind off of things and get the adrenalin pumping.

He sighed again and looked down at the screen.

"It was really weird. I was out on a walk today, and I saw this random hawk. It made me think of you. Strange, right?" he typed.

Well, truth be told, he edited it several times before actually sending it, but…it seemed appropriately random to be considered normal for the type of person he made other people think that he was.

Days passed, but no reply came.

At first, every time he got a text, he hurriedly dug out his phone with unbridled excitement. A week passed, and Kaito lost his enthusiasm. After two weeks, he gave up hope and tried to solve his problems through more conventional methods. Sky diving was a little out of the question, so he took to rock climbing.

It was about a month after he'd first sent the text to Hakuba when Kaito received his second sign.

This one came in the form of a magazine article about the blonde in question that Kaito had stumbled upon in the library. He'd accidentally bumped it off the shelf, and it fell open to a full-page image of the Englishman. Kaito made a copy and took it home for no logical reason that he could provide, and then he spent the better part of an hour skimming the article, reading the interview, and looking at the pictures.

Hakuba had been such an aggravating, self-absorbed prick when he'd first arrived in Japan to chase Kid, but he'd slowly lightened up, becoming slightly less unbearable over the course of his time in Tokyo.

Kaito sighed as he looked at a more recent picture of the Holmes freak wearing a nice suit with a tacky tie. He regretted not getting to know the blonde while he'd had the chance. From what he had gleaned from Hakuba's words in the interview, the Brit was actually a pretty interesting person. Kaito liked the way he thought, and he felt remorseful for never fully taking advantage of the intellectual rival with which he'd been gifted.

It was the same with Kudo.

Kaito'd been given two competent adversaries, but he hadn't had the chance to truly enjoy either before they'd gone and disappeared/shrunk on him.

He used Aoko taking the mop to him as an excuse to text the blonde again the following day. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain; he never received a response.

000

While awaiting a reply that would never come, Kaito stumbled across a startling revelation: Hakuba's smirk was rather fetching.

Of course, those are my words, not his. What Kaito actually thought was, "That son of a gun doesn't look half bad wearing that cocky grin when it's not pointed at me…Kid…whatever."

And then he blinked and wondered if he could use the "hormonal, teenage boy excuse" to wave away his brief spark of attraction to the detective. After all, he'd been turned on by _inanimate_ objects before; it didn't take a lot to get him excited, and this attraction to Hakuba was probably normal or some kind of phase he'd grow out of once the testosterone leveled off. He repetitively assured himself that one little incident of tight pants didn't make him gay because there was no way he was gay for that insufferable git.

However, after the fourth time, Kaito began to wonder.

Alright, he thought, so Hakuba's attractive. That doesn't mean I like him, like him. I mean, he's a cocky jerk…at least he seems like a cocky jerk…then again, so do I, but I'm not really like that…. Maybe he's not really like that either. But still…I don't know. For now, I guess he's got a nice face.

Thoughts of Hakuba's nice face slowly evolved into thoughts of Hakuba's nice body as the days went by, and this presented the teen with a huge problem: was he gay or just stressed out?

To determine the answer, he ended up making one of the five greatest mistakes of his life: he nonchalantly asked his childhood friend if she'd be interested in experimenting with him.

At first, Aoko looked confused. Confusion turned into shock as she slowly understood his meaning, and shock became anger as she got out the mop and proceeded to beat the living daylights out of him for insulting her by even suggesting such a thing.

She avoided him for a long time after that.

After having his heart ripped out and stomped on, he asked other girls but was similarly rejected (although a good deal less violently). He even considered asking a guy or two because he figured that that would be more definitive proof of his sexual orientation. Just because he could make out with girls, didn't necessarily mean that he didn't like boys too. However, if he kissed a guy and didn't mind it, he would know for sure if he was gay or temporarily insane.

Unfortunately, he lacked the nerve to proposition any one of the guys. He was already known as a pervert among the ladies, so asking them to fool around did nothing to tarnish his reputation. However, if it got out that he'd asked a guy, he'd instantly be labeled a homo.

He was lying awake, contemplating these things on the night he sent his third text to the detective: "Akako-chan misses you. She was talking the other day about how you had always been fun to freak out. You've been gone for almost six months now. When are you coming home?"

It was just a lie he had constructed to fish for information and offer an excuse to talk to the Brit again.

He figured that he'd know for sure once he talked to Hakuba, the bastard who had made him doubt himself in the first place.

000

"I'm pretty sure it's just stress," Kaito sighed a few days later at the Blue Parrot while lining up his shot.

"Bocchama, don't you have school?" Jii inquired, frowning at his young charge.

"I'm ditching." The thief missed by a long shot and shrugged. "Anyway, it's probably just stress."

"What is?" Jii rolled his eyes and silently apologized to his fallen master for being unable to stop his son from becoming a delinquent.

"You know that Hakuba Saguru guy that used to chase me?" the brunette asked off-handedly as he picked out his next target.

"I remember," Jii sighed heavily. "Frankly, Young Master, I must say that I'm glad that we're rid of him. He's come dangerously close to catching you several times."

"I miss him," the thief sighed dreamily. "I miss the adrenaline high he gave me…and the mental gymnastics he made me do were fun…. Plus, I just noticed recently, but…he's kind of hott."

Jii nearly choked on the coffee he had just sipped. "Bocchama, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"No." Kaito shrugged and went to fetch some napkins to clean up the mess. "It's just…you know how when you see someone a lot, you stop really seeing them? When I used to see Hakuba every day, all I noticed was how annoying and nosey he was—a real thorn in my side. Now that he's gone, I can kind of see him more clearly. I mean, I've been doing some poking around on his fan sites, and they have some pictures and interviews and profile information, and…he's pretty…for a guy, you know?"

All Jii could do was blink and think, Dear Toichi-sama in heaven, what would you have me do?

"He's actually a really interesting guy. He had a blog a few years ago when he was in England, so I was reading that, and I just can't help but want to know more about him. I think he's like me; who he pretends to be in public isn't who he really is. It could just be stress or mental illness or something, but…I think maybe I like him, and I think he might like me too…or at least Kid, but I _am_ Kid, and he knows that, so…I mean, the way he talks about me is just…it's a mix of annoyance and respect. He says I'm a genius, you know? In one of his interviews, he talks about what a great rival I am for him, and you can really tell that he admires me. He told everyone that I'm a good person…that I'm honest, and…why are you looking at me like that? I know it's a little sudden, but…do I sound like a nut or something?"

"Bocchama, why don't we sit down and talk about this," Jii suggested, feeling like he could fall over at any moment.

"'Kay," the teen easily agreed.

"Young Master, maybe you should take up a hobby. You're obviously bored, and it seems to be affecting your…um…mental stability." The accomplice tried his hardest to state it tactfully.

"I've already tried rock climbing, fencing, basketball, karate, and track and field," Kaito sighed, leaning back into the lounge chair. "Nothing really seems to do it for me. I really want Hakuba to come back and chase me."

"How about that young boy? The grade schooler," Jii clarified. "Why don't you send him an invitation to your next heist? Maybe after you've had a proper challenge you'll realize how silly you're acting."

Kaito pursed his lips and considered. "I guess that could work. You think I'll feel better after taking on Tantei-kun and forget my feelings for Hakuba?"

The old man grimaced. "Young Master, I believe that you believe that you have feelings for the young detective, but I think you may be constructing those feelings to compensate for the lack of action in your life in the detective's absence. However, you are free to think and act as you wish. I will not stop you, but I ask that you do not behave rashly."

The magician nodded. "So…I'll schedule a heist with Tantei-kun and see if my feelings go away afterwards?"

"That is my recommendation." Jii nodded solemnly.

000

Kid sent a challenge directly to the Mouri Detective Agency and faced off with the shrunken detective the following day, but while his feelings of utter boredom dissipated for the duration of the heist, the loneliness and restless-listlessness stayed. He still missed his half-British rival, and he still thought that the other teen looked handsome whenever he gazed at the pictures on the fan sites.

That settled it. Kuroba Kaito most probably had a thing for Hakuba Saguru.

000

"So what should I do about it?" Kaito sighed, hitting send on his text-of-the-day to the European sleuth.

"Bocchama, if you could please refrain from sitting on the pool tables," Jii sighed bitterly, silently begging, "Toichi-sama, give me patience with this child."

"Jii-chan, this is important," the child in question whined, hopping down from his perch. "I'm in love with this guy!"

"Young Master, you are certainly not in love," the older gentleman snapped. "You merely wish to be. You're lonely and you don't connect well with people. You feel that no one understands you, so you've created this fictitious image of Hakuba-kun to identify with. You've always had a splendid imagination, Bocchama, and I don't want to damage it, but this must stop. Falling in love with an ideal and obsessing over it is unhealthy."

"But he really is like me, Jii-chan," Kaito replied softly. "He understands me."

"You haven't spoken to him in months, and even when he was here, the two of you were not friends, Bocchama. Whatever connection you think you have, it's only an invention of your own mind. You need to snap out of it; I'm worried about you, Young Master Kaito."

Kaito looked away. It hurt to see his most trusted confidant gazing at him with such pain in his eyes.

"I'd rather hold onto the lie than give it up and have nothing," he finally responded. "I really do think that he likes me too. You'll see when he texts me back."

"Bocchama, how many texts have you sent that boy?" Jii sighed, shaking his head slowly at his charge.

"'Bout a dozen." Kaito shrugged.

"And how many times has he responded?" the elderly man continued.

"He's busy," the thief retorted defensively. "He's got lots of important cases that he's working on, and he doesn't always have time to text back, but he reads my texts. Even though most of them are nonsense, he always reads them and smiles because he knows I'm thinking about him. He doesn't have to respond for me to know that he's thinking of me too."

"Bocchama, have you considered the possibility that you're only pestering the good detective?" Jii proposed softly, knowing that he wasn't going to receive a positive response.

"I'm not bothering him!" Kaito snapped. "He likes hearing from me! I'm not a nuisance; it's only natural that friends text each other."

"B-But you're not friends, Bocchama," Jii argued tentatively, unsettled by the quick change in his charge's demeanor. Kaito was acting strange—alarmingly so.

"Yes we are!" the teen retorted like a spoiled child. "We text all the time. We may not be close now, but when he's a little less busy and has time to reply…you'll see. We'll get closer when he has more time. We have to; I mean, we're the same. He understands what it's like…"

"What what's like, Young Master?" Jii whispered.

"What it's like to be alone all the time," Kaito sighed, heading for the door.

000

He ditched school the next day too because he was tired of putting on his poker face every morning. He was tired of pasting on that grin, going to school, and putting on that act. He was tired of pretending that things were okay.

They weren't.

They hadn't been for a very, very long time—since his father had died, really—and he'd had enough of the charade. He'd grown weary of playing the role of Kuroba Kaito, class clown and pervert. He was sick of fooling everyone—even himself at times.

However, there was Hakuba who saw right through him, knew his true self well enough to anticipate his every move. Hakuba would be his salvation from his monotonous, everyday life. Hakuba would take him away from all of the people who made him feel so utterly alone.

That's what he thought as he stopped on the bridge on his way home that day and typed out his daily text.

"What are you up to?"

He imagined the detective smiling and rolling his beautiful golden eyes when he received the message.

He'd probably be working on a case or something, wearing those reading glasses that had looked so cute in the pictures he'd found online.

That's how Kaito always imagined it.

It was just like their interactions at school. Kaito would pester and bother and pester some more, and Hakuba would ignore, ignore, ignore. He'd roll his eyes, smirk, or snort when appropriate, but he'd never respond directly—that would mean he had lost by giving into the pesky imp.

Kaito thought of the texts as the same thing. Hakuba was probably smirking and flirtatiously ignoring Kaito's text right that very moment.

And then Kaito's phone vibrated.

The magician blinked and was still a minute before it donned upon him: Hakuba had finally responded.

Fireworks seemed to go off in celebration.

His heart had exploded in pure, unadulterated joy.

Now they could finally talk to one another. Now they could really get to know each other and really fall in love. He didn't have to be alone anymore because Hakuba had finally taken the hand he'd stretched out. They could take solace in each other and escape the world that didn't understand them.

Kaito quickly fished his phone out of his pocket and eagerly gazed at the display.

He blinked.

"SLEEPING! Whathe blooody hell do you thnk Im doing? Its for in the sodding morning! Leave me the hell ALONE!"

It was in English.

No matter, he could do English…sort of.

He managed to read it once after a few minutes spent puzzling out words and meaning. There had been mistakes that had made it hard for a non-native speaker to read, and British slang was not his forte.

He blinked and read it again. And then a third time just to make sure.

"Oh," was all he could say once he'd finished. He typed back a quick "Sorry," and turned off his phone.

He'd been wrong about everything.

Jii-chan had been right; Kaito was delusional.

He'd had this glorified image of Hakuba generated from magazine articles, fan sites, and even his own depraved desires. He'd felt alone and helpless, so he'd created a savior for himself. He'd imagined someone who understood him, who could empathize like no one else could, but that person apparently didn't exist. He'd made it all up.

While there had been evidence to support his phantasies, it had turned out that just because Hakuba could anticipate Kid, didn't mean that he understood the inner workings of Kaito's heart and mind. Just because they were both outcasts, didn't mean that they could commiserate and carry the burden of being misfits together. Just because Hakuba had praised Kid in his interviews, didn't mean that Hakuba liked Kaito back.

Kaito had been rejected, and it stung.

He went back to his empty house, got into bed, and refused to get up for a week.

At that point, his mother came home, found him passed out, and got him to the hospital where he was treated for dehydration.

Once released, he was scolded severely for his recent truancy and total disregard for his health.

Chikage decided to stay home and look after her self-destructing son after that.

So it was back to putting on the poker face along with his school uniform every morning and not taking it off until he was safe in the confines of his room at night.

Two things had helped during this time: one, Aoko had stopped acting as if he had kicked her puppy, and two, he had read Hakuba's apology text.

He hadn't received it until he'd left the hospital, so he'd been dwelling on the overwhelming rejection for a good two weeks already, but reading the sincere apology helped restore the kind, loving image of Hakuba that the magician had created.

He thought long and hard about his next move concerning his crush as he attempted to get his life back on track (superficially at least. Back to the way things were when no one could tell anything was wrong but he was still screaming on the inside). Kaito decided to play it safe from that point on. He'd play it logically, like a game of chess.

A month after he'd gotten that horrible first reply from the detective, Kaito summoned all of the courage and texted the blonde again. He'd stayed up late, texting at midnight so that Hakuba would receive the message sometime around when school let out. He kept things business, impersonal—he asked if they heard much about Kid in England.

Kaito set down his phone with a sigh and prayed that he didn't get yelled at for disrupting class or dinner or something.

His phone vibrated a minute later, and he was both thrilled and terrified to look at the read out.

He gulped and cautiously looked at the phone. Never before in his life had he been so happy to see the word "sometimes."

000

Hakuba was a little slow to warm up, but eventually Kaito got him talking. They discussed Kid and the taskforce at first, talking about safe topics until Kaito felt comfortable enough to begin conversations on everyday life and the nonsense he preferred to chat about.

He made sure to only text every couple days in the beginning because he wasn't some kind of freaky stalker…not anymore, anyway. He'd actually come to understand the blonde a little better, and while he now knew that the detective wasn't his messiah, he'd learned that Hakuba really did have Prince Charming potential. The other teen was _very_ interesting, and the two _were_ quite similar after all.

Conversations with the Brit got more and more frequent, and Kaito found himself walking around with a little bounce in his step.

Other people noticed the genuine improvement in the magician's mood as well.

"Got yourself a girlfriend, Kuroba?" one of his classmates asked, elbowing him in the ribs.

"Nah," Kaito would laugh in response, going back to whistling.

"You met someone?" Aoko asked tentatively during chemistry one day.

"I met someone," Kaito confirmed with a grin.

The inspector's daughter nodded and spared him a melancholy little smile. "Aoko's happy for you. This girl seems to be doing you a lot of good. You've been really down all year, but now…"

"It's amazing what a difference having hope can make. Having just one friend that gets you when the rest of the world doesn't is—"

"—We're in the middle of class now, Kuroba-kun, Nakamori-san," Asou-sensei scolded lightly, just like he did every class.

Jii-chan noticed the change in his young master's disposition as well.

Honestly, Kaito had been off his rocker for months before, consumed with more than the normal quota of teen angst. The boy had been talking about no one understanding and no one caring to the point where it had even made Jii himself depressed.

But, to be fair, Kaito was right.

There _wasn't_ anyone who understood what the child was going through. There was no one to talk to, no one to comfort him. Kaito couldn't let others get close for their own safety and for the sake of Kaito's freedom as well. The teen really was all alone.

It also didn't help that his father was dead, his mother was AWOL, the girl he loved (?) hated his alter ego, and the only true friend the young thief had to confide in was an old, washed-up stagehand. Things were tough for the poor kid.

So it had only seemed natural—unfortunate and bizarre, but perfectly natural—when Kaito had invented a surrogate friendship/romantic relationship with that crazy, foreign detective. The young master was an escapist like his father, after all.

Things had been dangerously unhealthy for a while, but after Kaito had been released from the hospital, he'd drastically improved.

"So…I'm in love with Hakuba Saguru," Kaito had announced that fall.

Jii blinked. "Bocchama, kindly come down from the pool table. They really aren't meant to be used as chairs."

"I mean for real this time," the magician sighed, sliding off the table. "We've been texting—actually talking, having conversations this time…some of them were pretty long, actually—and I'm getting to know him better, and I think I really like him…for real."

The assistant sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"Say something, Jii-chan," Kaito urged, and instead of the pouty face he was expecting, Jii received a very concerned, nervous look from his charge.

"Why are you telling me this?" The old man sighed again.

"Because…I trust you," the boy mumbled. "I respect your opinion, and I'm worried about what you think of me. Besides, there's no one else I can talk to, so…"

Jii nodded and placed a hand lovingly on Kaito's shoulder. "Bocchama, don't worry about what others think. Just do what makes you happy. I only want for you to be happy."

"Thanks, Jii-chan," Kaito chuckled, a small smile upon his lips.

It had been a long time since Jii had seen the boy smile like that.

"Toichi-sama, does it really matter as long as he's happy?" he thought.

….

o

O

O

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Mikau: It's an ice cream cone! Maybe…if the formatting worked better, anyway. So…yes. That's the mentally unstable Kaito chapter. Next chapter (the final chapter, unless I get requests for omakes) is the development of the romance…and Kaito being a hormonal, teenage pervert. Look forward to it! Thank you for reading. If you have the time, constructive criticism, praise, and comments are appreciated. Hope to see you next time!


	3. Kuroba Kaito Part Two

Mikau: Hello again! Thanks for joining me for the final installment (barring omakes) of Love at Long Distance! Thank you also to athieisademon, Canadian, and Syrus07 for reviewing. For those of you interested, I just posted a new HakuKai fic today called Change of Setting, Change of Mind. Check it out if you have time or interest. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I wouldn't have had Kaito give that impassioned speech to Aoko in the Ghost Game chapter about how she couldn't come with him because she was a woman and he would never put a woman in danger. "This is man's work!" Yeah, right. I would have hit him with the mop. I hope that gets changed in the English version whenever it happens. Normally I'm all for sticking to the original Japanese, but take that scene out, please. It makes Kaito sound like a sexist chauvinist.

…

Kuroba Kaito Part Two

The second to last week in November, for the first time, Kaito was glad that Hakuba was in England.

Snake had taken the extremely aggressive route and had begun open firing.

Kaito's bulletproof vest had kept him from being killed (though getting shot still hurt, even though the bullet hadn't penetrated), but it had done nothing for his arms and legs.

A few cops had gotten grazed, but they were okay—Kaito had checked.

He'd opted to get out of there as quickly as possible to draw fire away from the uninvolved parties present.

He was presently getting patched up at Jii-chan's when he thought to text his intended.

It wouldn't do, after all, for his detective to hear about the shooting and panic.

Hakuba's response made Kaito's heart burst. The Brit was worried. Truly worried. And he'd called him by his first name.

Kaito saw stars. "Saguru," he cooed.

Jii just shook his head and muttered something about teenage, lovesick puppies.

000

_Saguru_ started texting him first after that, and Kaito decided that being in love was the best experience of his life.

"That girl of yours must be a real cyclone in bed to make you this giddy," one of the guys teased.

Aoko tried hard to look like she wasn't pouting.

"They don't even live in Japan," Kaito chuckled, and Aoko visibly relaxed.

"You guys have phone sex, then?" another guy asked.

Phone sex. Hmm. That was something to look into.

The flirting began shortly after that. Truthfully, Kaito did most of the flirting, but Saguru didn't discourage it. Rather, quite the opposite.

"I was thinking about you today," one conversation began.

Kaito's ears perked up. "Oh? I was thinking about you too. What was I wearing when you were thinking about me?"

"I…didn't imagine clothes," Saguru replied after a beat.

"So you imagined me naked?" Kaito snickered. "Wow. I feel kind of violated. If you're going to put me on display in my birthday suit for your own carnal pleasure, at least let me know so that I can join in on the fun."

"It wasn't like that!" the detective rushed to clear up the misunderstanding. "I simply didn't imagine specific clothes. You were _definitely_ wearing clothes!"

"Are you blushing, Saguru? I want to see you blush," the thief teased and received a photo of his beloved with rosy cheeks in response.

"Aww. You're so cute. Just like a pure, innocent school girl," Kaito poked fun with a smirk. "You were wearing clothes when I was thinking of you earlier, but you got hot, so you started taking them off. In my imagination, I was bigger than you, but care to compare measurements in real life?"

He received another photo. In this one, the blonde was red in the face and making an indecent hand gesture.

":P I looooove you. 3" the magician replied and meant it.

"Ahem…anyway, the reason I texted you in the first place was because I was thinking about you today. You said that Kid was shot; do you happen to know how he's feeling?"

The brunette found himself blushing. "You really mean me, don't you? I mean, since you think that I'm Kid? I'm fine, Saguru. 3 Thanks for asking."

"I'm worried about you, Kaito. 3"

Those words (especially with the little heart at the end) made Kaito's own heart flutter. "Thanks. That means a lot to me."

000

"Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?" woke Kaito up at three in the morning one week in December.

"Im fne why?" the magician-thief clumsily typed back, dozing as soon as he hit the send button.

"I'm terribly sorry to wake you, but I had to know you were safe. I heard about the shooting at the Kid heist last night, and I was worried about you. Are you unharmed?" the detective typed quickly. "When I read about it in the paper but had yet to hear from you, I thought maybe…"

"Im kay. been unconscious all day thou, resting Think the fvers down now. I forbade you from fretting. Talk later when not loopy on pain meds?"

"Yes, we'll talk at length later when you can appreciate the full magnitude of my anxiety and anger," the Brit growled. "You're not allowed to die, Kaito. You can't. You _can't_."

"of coure I can evrybdy dies somday" Kaito replied before slipping back into his drug-induced slumber.

In the morning, he looked at his text log and smacked himself upside the head. Only he'd forgotten about how much his head hurt and ended up regretting it.

"But I won't leave you," he added. "You can't die on me either, Saguru."

"As long as we understand each other," the detective replied.

000

Christmas Eve was a lonely affair.

Kaito had bought a slice of cake from the grocery store and set up camp on the couch to watch the television specials.

He sighed, wondering what his future boyfriend was up to. "When are you coming home?" he typed. "You need to come home so that we can get a move on things," he added out loud to himself. "Once you see me, you're going to fall flat on your face in love."

"I'm not sure," Saguru responded quickly. "Maybe soon. Maybe not for a long time. Probably somewhere in the middle."

"Well, get sure," Kaito snapped. "Cut the crap and get sure! I need to see you," he mumbled, but typed: "Well, let me know so we can hang out, okay?"

He sighed, banging his head against the back of the couch. "I wish I could be more honest, but…what if you're not serious? What if you're as oblivious as Aoko and you think I'm just teasing you? What if I tell you and you don't feel the same way? Mom'll get mad if I land myself in the hospital again."

"Got anyone special that you plan on celebrating with?" Kaito typed and held his breath.

Some roundabout British nonsense and then: "Even if it were date night, I would still be alone. How about you? Are you celebrating with anyone?"

Good. No love rival. There wouldn't be much he could do from all the way in Japan, anyway. "Just you. 3"

000

A few days later they had a fight.

Kaito was sick of not knowing, and tired of playing this flirting game. He wanted to see Saguru, and if the blonde wasn't coming to him, he would go to the detective.

But Saguru was busy. Suspiciously unconditionally so.

"Do you not want to see me?" the magician snapped, hurt by his beloved's reaction. He'd thought that Saguru would be ecstatic to hear of the possibility of Kaito coming to visit, however the other teen seemed anything but.

"That's not it," Saguru lied.

"Then what's the problem?" Kaito snorted, hoping that the blonde would come up with a better, more feasible excuse.

"I told you. I'm going to be very busy. I'm sorry."

Wrong answer.

"Liar," the brunette spit bitterly.

"Forget it," he typed and then shut off his phone.

He then proceeded to sulk for a week.

000

"What's the matter, Sweetheart?" Chikage cooed, setting down a plate of fresh cookies on his nightstand. "Things going okay with Mister Tall-Blonde-and-Handsome?"

"No," the angsty teen grunted, pulling the covers even further over his head. "He's a jerk. He said he doesn't want anything to do with me."

The former thief blinked twice. "Did he really come right out and say that?"

"No, but it was heavily implied. Look." He thrust his phone out towards her.

"Honey, Saguru-kun could just be busy like he says," Chikage suggested, patting the lump under the covers that she guessed to be her son's head. "He's obviously sorry that he can't spend time with you. I mean, he did apologize several times. If he wanted nothing to do with you, he'd probably be a lot more frank about it. He did grow up in Europe after all; people are surprisingly direct there."

"So you think that he's actually busy?" Kaito sniffed, peeking his head out.

His mother bit her lip. "No. You're right; he's lying, but it seems to me that he has a good reason for not seeing you, even though he wants to."

"What makes you so certain that he _wants_ to see me when he right out said 'Don't come'?" Kaito sighed.

"He'd didn't 'right out say 'Don't come,'' Kaito…and he wants to see you. Trust me," she chuckled. "It's women's intuition. You're not the only one in love, Kai."

"Thanks, Mom," the teen laughed, a relieved smile upon his face.

000

They made up on New Year's as Kaito sat alone, hanging upside down off of the couch.

He was finally able to admit how excruciatingly lonely he was and how depressed he'd been to his friend, and, the very next day, he found that his honesty had paid off.

"Good morning," greeted him when he woke up. "How are you feeling today? Did you dream of eggplants? Mount Fuji? What was the other one? An eagle?"

"Morning," Kaito replied with a grin. "Though, I guess it's still night for you. Happy New Year, though. I dreamt about a hawk. Do you think that counts?"

"Maybe. It's almost two o'clock here. I was dozing for a little while, and this dove kept nibbling on my ear. Usually my dreams are a lot more complex than that; I wonder what it could mean?"

"Hmm. I wonder," Kaito laughed. "In other news, there is some dispute about whether the first dream of the year is from New Year's Eve into New Year's Day or from New Year's Day into January second. So, technically, I think we've got two chances for lucky first dreams of the year. What do you think? Is that legit?"

"You make a sound argument," Hakuba chuckled softly, his laughter turning into a yawn.

"Go to sleep, Saguru," Kaito typed as he started to yawn himself. "I'll talk to you later. Sweet dreams! :P"

"Have a good day, Kaito."

000

"High school science makes my brain feel like it's melting," Kaito received one night in January.

He smirked.

Saguru had thirty minutes left before lunch break.

"Not all of us can have grandfathers with research laboratories," the thief snickered.

"It's not my fault that both of my parents form a part of the social elite. So sue me; I have a pedigree. And I'm smart, so I shouldn't have to take remedial chemistry courses."

"Oh, Saguru. I love you and your sense of entitlement," the magician snorted.

"Do you mean that?"

Kaito blinked.

Damn text-based forms of communication. It was impossible to guess at the Brit's tone of voice.

"…or are you just being a sarcastic tosser?"

Ah. That helped.

The first message would have been said in a dry sort of wry tone of voice, while the second was full of sarcastic flirtation.

"I mean it. I love you. 3" Kaito smirked, hitting send.

"You know, there are times when I'm glad that we're texting in Japanese. None of my mates can read it, so we can discuss whatever we wish in privacy."

"So…theoretically, I could write dirty, naughty things to you, and no one would know." Saguru knew that there was a shark-toothed smirk on the other end of that text.

The blonde gulped. "And why would you send me comments of a pornographic nature? This is hardly the time or place."

"I disagree. Although, I'm lying in bed naked right now, so…"

Hakuba blinked and swallowed hard. "You're joking…right?"

"Half joking," Kaito snickered.

"Good. So you're not naked then?" Saguru sighed quietly and resituated himself so that the current situation in his pants would not be obvious to others.

"Oh, no. I'm naked, alright. Though, I'm lying on the couch, not the bed. Want pictures?"

Saguru excused himself from class to attend to his nose bleed. "Yes please," he muttered, but never responded to the message.

000

"I was thinking about you today," Saguru started his message. "You _were_ wearing clothing, by the way. How are you? Incidentally, what are you wearing?"

"I'm alright, I guess. Tired. Ready for a shower and bed. Tantei-kun came to the Kid heist tonight. At the minute…white dress pants. That's it, and they're not even zipped. You kind of caught me while I was changing. Does this count as walking in on me?"

"I…see. Thank you for being honest with me. No, this doesn't count because I can't see anything," Saguru responded with a fond smile.

A minute later he received two pictures.

The first showed Kaito with a look of abject horror on his face as he covered his bare chest with his hands. In the second photo, Kaito was giving him the peace sign and winking, not showing the slightest bit of self-consciousness at being half-naked.

Saguru realized a good while later that he was still staring at the picture and had yet to reply to his friend.

"Terribly sorry. I got distracted by a case. You look like you've lost some weight."

"You mean you got distracted by my glorious body," Kaito laughed. "Yes, I am down a few kilos. Sometimes I get depressed and don't feel like eating. So…which part's your favorite? My chest? My abs?"

"Your pelvis," Saguru sighed to himself. "If your boxers rode just the teensiest bit lower on your hips…have mercy…" Instead he typed, "Kaito, promise me that you'll eat. I don't want you getting any thinner."

"I make no promises. It's not like depression is something I can control, you know? And when I'm depressed, food tastes like dirt. When are you coming home?"

The blonde bit his lip. "I…don't know. Sorry. Please, please take care of yourself. I'm worried about you."

"Not worried enough to come see me," Kaito typed out but then erased it. "You _should_ be," he tried again but deleted that too. "Thank you. 3 But your concern doesn't help much."

000

"What did you do today?" Saguru's text arrived just before bed.

"Mom's away on business, so I ditched school. I used the time to perfect this new trick I've been working on. It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. I'll show it to you when you come home."

"Kaito, you shouldn't skip school," Saguru responded, and the magician could just imagine the disapproving frown on his crush's face.

"Shrug," the brunette replied. "School's boring. I'll go when you come home and are there to entertain me."

"You used to go to school before I moved to Japan. Why can't you go now as well? Have you tried getting Aoko-kun to chase you? You always seemed to enjoy that," the detective suggested, more than a little concerned for the imp's well-being.

"We don't hang out so much anymore," Kaito admitted with a sigh. "I've been a bit of a nutcase this past year, and I think she's scared. She doesn't want to lose me, but she's afraid of getting hurt, so she's distancing herself for protection. Everyone's like that, really. They stay the hell away from me so that they don't get hit by the shrapnel. Lol."

"That's not funny, Kaito."

"You're right. It's hilarious! In an ironic sort of way, really," Kaito chuckled softly.

There was no reply for an entire minute, so Kaito sighed, setting down his phone on the nightstand.

"Way to sound like a psycho, Kuroba," he grumbled, hitting his head against the headboard. "Go right ahead and scare off the only person who gives a damn about you."

With another sigh, he lay his head down on the pillow and allowed himself to cry softly. Over the years, he'd gotten very good at sobbing without ever making a sound. He simply let the tears slowly fall as he sighed intermittently.

He was tired and frustrated and lonely.

His phone rang.

Kaito blinked back the tears and stared at the little device for a minute before his brain registered that he should dry his eyes, clear his throat, and pick up because Hakuba Saguru was calling him.

"Hello?" he managed to say without stuttering.

"Kaito?" a nervous, tenor voice on the other end replied.

Finally hearing his name on those lips made the brunette absolutely giddy. "The one and only! Though…there are probably thousands of other Kaitos, but…I think that I'm the one you're looking for. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Uh…yes. It has," Saguru replied a little awkwardly.

Kaito could tell it had been a while since the Brit had spoken Japanese.

"Nearly an entire year," the detective gulped. "You sound…a great deal more chipper than I imagined based on your texts."

"Oh really? You sound exactly how I remember…minus the attitude, of course. How are you? What have you been up to?" He was desperate to hear more. The longer he could keep the blonde talking, the better. He _loved_ the sound of that soft, thoughtful voice.

"I'm doing well, I suppose. Not much is really up. I mean, I told you about the case I had the other day in Bristol. Kaito, how are _you_? Are you doing alright?" The concern that had been implied in the texts was clearly evident in the detective's voice.

"Yeah. I'm fine. As fine as usual, anyway," Kaito easily waved it away with his superior acting skills. _"I'm fine now that I can hear your voice."_

"Why do I get the feeling that you're lying to me?" Saguru sighed.

"Because I lie to everyone." Kaito shrugged.

"Kaito, lately you've been sounding extremely down in your texts. You talk about being depressed a lot," the younger teen tried to gently broach the subject.

"I am. So?" the magician snorted. "Does it bother you? Would you rather I paste on a grin for you too? I get a little tired of acting like everything's all ice cream and rubies."

Saguru paused. "It does bother me, but not in the sense that I find it a nuisance. I suppose 'it upsets me' is a better way to phrase it. I don't want you to hide your pain from me; I just want it to stop."

"Thanks, Saguru," the brunette whispered, a soft smile gracing his lips. "But I don't know how to stop it."

"I've only been aware of the problem since…well, in December when we had that little argument, but…how long have you been feeling like this, Kaito?" Saguru asked, chewing nervously on his lip.

Kaito snorted. "Years. It's just gotten bad lately, but more importantly, I'd hardly call the fight we had a 'little argument.' You told me not to bother coming to visit because you didn't want to see me!"

"I…I didn't…that's not what I said at all. I said I was busy," the detective stuttered, surprised that an argument he had thought long resolved had come back to bite him.

"Yeah, but you weren't busy," the older teen snapped. "We both know that's a lie, so why didn't you want to see me?"

"I…I did…. I did want to see you, but…there were some things that I needed to work out before I could. I still haven't quite gotten things in order, but…I do want to see you, Kaito," Hakuba gulped.

Kaito was silent a minute. "What kinds of things do you need to work out before you can see me?"

"I…" Saguru took a deep breath. "Kaito, do you like…"

"Like…like what?" the magician prompted after the detective failed to continue.

"Do you like French cuisine?" Saguru sighed, losing his nerve.

"I've never had it before, so I wouldn't know." There was a beat. "Why are you asking about French food?"

"I…I want to take you out to eat when I get home."

"Isn't that really expensive?" Kaito inquired, liking the sound of their first date.

"Don't worry. I'm paying."

"And…when are you coming home?" The brunette crossed his fingers.

There was silence. "Sooner rather than later? I don't know, Kaito."

"…Valentine's Day is coming up," Kaito replied thoughtfully, dropping the previous subject. "Do you have any plans?"

"You know I don't," Saguru chuckled softly.

"Yes you do. Did you forget?" Kaito chided.

"Who are you? My day planner? What Valentine's Day plans did I forget?" The detective rolled his golden eyes. "As far as I'm aware, I'm romantically unattached, making it a little difficult to have Valentine's plans."

"You've got a dinner date with me via texting," the magician chirped. "That way neither of us feels like as big of a loser. Though, it'll be lunchtime for you and bedtime for me, but…"

"I'll text you," Saguru promised.

"Then I guess I'll talk to you later?" Kaito giggled.

"As long as you're alive to talk," the blonde sighed. "Do take care of yourself. I know there's nothing you can do about the depression, but…just remember that you're not really alone. You've got your mother and that Jii-san person who love you."

"And I've got you, right?" Kaito held his breath.

"Yes, you most definitely have me," Saguru replied warmly, thinking, _"Heart, body, and soul, you have me."_ "So please make an attempt to stay healthy. Don't give me any more cause for worry."

"I'll try," Kaito pledged. "Thanks for calling, Saguru. It was good to hear your voice."

"You too, Kaito. Pleasant dreams." Kaito could just imagine the fond smile on his beloved's face.

000

Valentine's Day was a horror. Not just one or two, but FOUR girls confessed to him—Mamiko-chan, Kyoko-chan, Momoko-chan, and even Etsuko-chan from the freshman class.

It hurt to turn them down because, really, they were sweet girls, but he'd lost all interest in anyone—male or female—other than Hakuba Saguru. It was painful to stand there and listen to them pouring their hearts out when he knew he couldn't return their feelings.

He just wanted it to be that damn blonde doing the confessing. He wanted it so bad that his heart ached.

Kaito apologized profusely, assured the poor damsels that there _was_ a prince for them in some other castle, and presented them with a rose.

That seemed to do the trick in most cases. Momoko-chan was a little harder to console, but the job got done.

What really threw Kaito for a loop was when Tanaka, a guy who sat a few seats back and to the side of Kaito, asked to speak with him in private.

"You may not have noticed me, Kuroba-kun, but I noticed you," the other boy started, making the magician blink. "In fact, I've been watching you for a long time—ever since middle school. One day, I saw you walking home, and you stopped to comfort a crying child. Up until that point, I'd thought that you were just a loud-mouthed jerk—just the class clown—but in that moment, I realized what a good person you are. I really admire you, Kuroba-kun, and…I was wondering…if maybe you would do me the honor of becoming my boyfriend?"

Kaito blinked.

"I know it's a little unconventional, but, maybe, if you give it a try, you'll find that you can like guys as well." Tanaka gulped.

Kaito blinked and then got a hold of himself. "Tanaka, I…it's not that you're a guy. I already have someone else that I like."

"Kuroba-kun, I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but…you should probably give up on Nakamori-san. She—"

"—It's not Aoko," Kaito quickly corrected. "It's Hakuba Saguru. We kind of have this correspondence course-type relationship going on, and whenever he gets back from England, he gets first crack at me. I'm sorry, Tanaka. I'll keep you in mind, though, if things don't work out. I'm kind of crazy about the guy, so…sorry."

"I understand," Tanaka sighed. "Thanks for turning me down easy, Kuroba-kun."

"Don't worry about it. Thanks for liking me; I hope you find someone that makes you happy."

000

Saguru's text that night was a welcome distraction, though their conversation quickly deteriorated into their stock argument about when the Brit was getting his butt back to Japan.

Kaito was even more tired, frustrated, and lonely than ever before, and Saguru's absence was doing absolutely nothing to help matters.

"Kuroba Kaito, will you go out with me?" was much needed at that point.

He blinked, looked at the text again, and squealed. Yes, squealed.

All of a sudden he found himself full of the energy and joy that he'd been missing for a good while.

He ran downstairs and threw his arms around his mother from behind. "You'll never guess what happened!" he sang as he gave her a squeeze.

"Saguru-kun is coming back to Japan?" Chikage chuckled.

"That's not all!" Kaito giggled, showing her the text.

"Oh, Honey!" she laughed, dropping the mixing bowl to turn and embrace her child. "Congratulations. Are you going to stop being depressed all of the time now?"

"We'll see," the current thief chuckled. "Most likely yes."

000

Next he texted Aoko. "You'll never guess who asked me out!"

"You already told Aoko about the five today," his childhood friend snorted. "Do you have to brag?"

"No. Not them! Saguru! Saguru's coming home, and he asked me out!" the magician announced.

Aoko blinked. "What about that girl you've been texting? Aoko thought that Kaito was going out with her."

"That _was_ Saguru. Sorry for not really saying anything," Kaito sighed, apologizing sincerely. "We haven't been talking much outside of school these past few months, and I kind of didn't want to say anything about being bi at school."

"Aoko's…Aoko's angry at Kaito," she responded after a minute or two. "Kaito hurt Aoko when he said he just wanted to fool around with her. Aoko really liked Kaito, and he hurt her feelings."

"I'm sorry, Aoko. That wasn't fair of me. You don't have to forgive me, but just know I'm sorry, okay? I've been a bit of a spazz lately. I haven't been myself, but I realize that's no excuse for hurting you. Sorry, Aoko," Kaito sighed, coming down from his high over Saguru's confession.

"Aoko doesn't really like Kaito anymore. She likes Tanaka-kun now. Tanaka-kun is always looking at Aoko. Aoko supposes that she could be Kaito's friend again if he promises to stop acting like a spazz."

Kaito smiled wryly, debating whether or not he should tell her about whom Tanaka was really looking at. "I'll try my best, Aoko. Thanks."

"Aoko is happy for you and Hakuba-kun."

000

Kaito hurried over to the Blue Parrot the next day after school to tell Jii-chan the exciting news. "You'll never guess what!"

Jii blinked. "Hakuba-kun is coming back?"

"And he asked me out!" Kaito squealed. "He'll be arriving tomorrow at two, and I'm going to the airport to see him! Oh my God! He'll be here in less than twenty-four hours. What am I gonna do, Jii-chan?" the young thief laughed in glee. "I can believe this is really happening!"

Jii smiled fondly at his charge, crinkle lines forming at the corners of his eyes. "I'm glad for you, Bocchama." He silently wondered if it was his responsibility to give the young master _the talk_.

Regardless, it was good to see Kaito acting more like his old self.

000

The next day, Kaito woke up at six AM and couldn't get back to sleep. He lay in bed for another hour, tossing and turning before he finally just got up and started to get dressed.

Only nothing looked good.

He was seeing his boyfriend for the first time in a year, and nothing looked good.

His pants were either too tight, making him look like a slut, or too baggy, making him look like a street punk.

None of his shirts seemed to fit just right either.

It was a nightmare until his mother came in and picked out an outfit—a red and black striped jacket, white undershirt, and his black jeans.

"The jacket's just tight enough to look flattering but not indecent, and I've always thought that those jeans make your butt look good," Chikage giggled, smacking her son on the rear.

"Mooooom," the teen groaned. "…Thank you."

"Not a problem, Sweetheart."

000

He arrived at the airport right around noon and sat in the lounge, glancing from his watch to the arrivals board to his phone and then back to his watch again.

It was a nerve-racking, two-hour-and-twenty-minute wait, but finally, at two-twenty and some change, he felt eyes on him—not just any eyes, but those piercing amber eyes he'd been longing to lock gazes with.

He smiled and received one in return.

000

Later that night, as they lay in bed, limbs entangled, Kaito took the opportunity to accidentally let his hand brush the detective's nice, firm butt.

"You promised to behave, if I let you stay the night, Kaito," Saguru whispered huskily in the older teen's ear.

"But we have so much lost time to make up for," Kaito whined, letting his hand dip into the band of his boyfriend's boxers.

"Bad boy," Saguru chastised, removing the hand and giving Kaito's neck a nip. "I know, Darling. I've been waiting even longer than you."

"But you're better at waiting than I am," the brunette moaned. "How long?"

"How long what?"

"Have you been waiting?" Kaito clarified, planting a butterfly kiss on Saguru's jaw.

"Since Kid said that it was my job to figure out why he stole. I've been obsessed ever since." He smiled and looked the brunette straight in the eye. "You fascinate me." The detective whispered breathily, leaning in to place a quick peck on the magician's lips.

"T-That was three years ago," Kaito stuttered.

"Mmhm," Saguru agreed.

"And we're not making love now, why?"

"Because I want to savor this," Hakuba laughed at his beloved's stunned expression. "After all these years, I don't want to use it all up in one night. I want this to last…for us to just enjoy being together before we take it to the next level. Some things are worth waiting for, and you're one of them, Kaito."

"You say stuff like that, and my free will turns into Jell-O. Take me, I'm yours," Kaito whimpered, nuzzling the underside of his boyfriend's jaw.

"Didn't you hear me say that I wanted to wait?" Saguru chuckled, just enjoying the attention.

"I can't wait," the magician whined.

"We'll you're going to have to because making love requires at least two people, and I'm not participating until we've been dating longer than two days."

"So…tomorrow's fine?" the instigator teased.

"Smart-aleck," Saguru snorted.

"Speaking of dates, you said you were going to take me to a French restaurant," Kaito chortled.

"You _do_ know that I was trying to ask you if you liked me, don't you?" the detective sighed.

"At the time, no, but now it makes more sense." Kaito snuggled closer, resting his head against Saguru's.

"So…_do_ you like me?" the blonde fished.

"Nope," Kaito hummed. "I _love_ you, Saguru."

"I love you too, Kaito," Saguru whispered, heart overflowing with joy.

"So…since we both love each other, I don't see why we can't just—"

"—Shut up, Kaito," Saguru sighed, clamping a hand over his boyfriend's mouth. "You're ruining the moment."

"I'll break you eventually," Kaito replied, pressing a kiss to the palm of Saguru's hand.

"Oh, I know you will, but I have enough willpower to hold out a month or two at least," Saguru chuckled and replaced his palm with his lips.

….

:}i{:

Mikau: I don't think I've used my butterfly emot for this fic yet; it's one of my favorites. The End! So, how did you like the ending? Cute, right? Don't they make a cute couple? I think so, anyway, and you probably do too, if you're reading this. Well, regardless, I hope you enjoyed it. If there are any additional scenes that you would like to see written, feel free to write in with requests. I make no promises, but if a request sparks a chapter idea, I'll go with it. Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day everybody!


	4. Omake 1: The First Date

Mikau: Hey there everyone! Welcome to omake number one! This is dedicated to Cyanide Flowers who wanted to see the boys' first date. Thanks much to Cyanide Flowers, Syrus07, and athieisademon for reviewing. I was really glad to get back such positive feedback and lots of omake requests. I think I'll do Kaito's confession to being Kid next. Let me know if there's anything else you guys want to see. Also, some basic knowledge of the musical Les Miserables is helpful in this chapter. Jean Valjean steals a loaf of bread because his sister's kid was starving to death. He gets arrested and spends nineteen years doing hard labor. After he's released, he basically breaks parole, and Javert, a cop, hunts him down. Sounds cheery for a first date, right? Right! Please enjoy; sorry for any errors. This one was done a little quickly.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I'd put Hakuba and Kaito in the same scene together in the anime. Just saying. It would be nice if he showed up in the Kid specials.

….

Omake One: The First Date

"MOOOOOOOM!" A bloodcurdling scream reverberated off of the walls of the Kuroba home.

If Chikage hadn't known that Saguru-kun and her son had their first date within the hour, she would have assumed that alien fish from Neptune were conducting a hostile takeover of their second floor.

"Yes, Darling? What is it now?" Chikage calmly turned the page of her novel.

Kaito flew down the stairs, screeching, "Saguru's gonna be here in twenty minutes, and I have nothing to wear! God, knowing that punctual British bastard, he's gonna be early! What do I doooooo?"

"You're going to see Les Miserables and then have dinner at that French place in Shinjuku, right?" His mother didn't bother looking up.

"Yeah. What do I wear?" Kaito shrieked.

"Well, first of all, have a snack; that's a long musical. Secondly, you'll need a semi-formal outfit for both the theatre and the restaurant. What do you mean you don't have anything to wear? You have at least a dozen suits in the Kid Cave!"

Kaito blinked, mouth falling open to hover scant inches above the floor. "Are you nuts? I can't wear Kid's clothes on a date with the Superintendent of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police's son!"

Chikage rolled her eyes. "Just wear the pants and the tie. Swap out the light blue shirt for a darker one, and it'll be fine. You look _good_ in that suit, and didn't you say that Saguru-kun told you that he fell for you when you were in uniform?"

Kaito bit his lip. "Well…yeah, but…"

"Just do it. It'll be fun—exciting. Come on, Kaito. You have to keep things kinky to keep the romance alive, and what's more kinky than the forbidden love of a detective and thief? You should tell Saguru-kun to bring his handcuffs."

The teenager blinked. "I don't need to hear that from my _mother_!"

Chikage shrugged. "Go get changed, Sweetheart. Your boyfriend will be along any minute."

With a high-pitched squeal, the boy took off, tearing up the stairs. He returned minutes later in the suggested outfit. "How do I look?"

His mother chuckled, getting up to un-tuck the shirt, loosen the tie, tussle his hair, and undo the top two buttons of the shirt. "Sexy. He won't be able to keep his hands off of you. Remember to use protection, Honey; you're too young to get pregnant."

"Mooooom!" Kaito groaned. "Gross! And why are you assuming that _I'm_ the one that'd end up pregnant?"

The doorbell rang, cutting off further discussion.

"Oh my God, I'm going to be sick," the love-struck adolescent whimpered.

"Are you going to get that, or shall I?" Chikage chuckled, having fun with her child's first dating experience.

"You get it. Do me a favor and pretend that I've been upstairs all of this time, okay? Call me down in, like, two minutes. I need some time. Please?" her precious son begged.

"I'll humor you, since it's your first date," she agreed, patting him on the head. "Run along."

Chikage waited until Kaito was out of sight before she went to get the door. "Good evening, Saguru-kun."

"G-G-Good evening, K-Kuroba-san," the blonde stuttered, body visibly shaking. "Is K-Kaito…?"

"Come in, Dear. Your boyfriend is upstairs having a panic attack," Chikage chuckled in amusement, escorting the young man into the parlor. "Can I get you some tea?"

"Yes, please," Saguru sighed, momentarily forgetting his manners. "I-I mean, no thank you! I'm quite fine." He hadn't yet readjusted to some of the Japanese customs following his stint abroad.

"Don't even bothering refusing the first three times I ask," she laughed good-naturedly, moving to fetch the tea. "I'd rather you be direct. After all, you _are_ going to be my son someday, aren't you?"

The Brit's entire face went scarlet, and he gulped. "Yes, Madam."

"Then relax." She smiled, setting a cup down in front of him. "…Kaito's nervous too…. You should have seen him while you were away—a total wreck. I had to suspend my business travel for months in order to make sure that he ate and slept and went to school properly. I've never seen him so unhappy in his entire…well…after his father died, but…this was a very close second."

"I got a sense that it was pretty bad from his text messages, but…it was really _that_ bad, wasn't it?" Hakuba gulped.

Chikage nodded. "He had to be hospitalized once, and I sometimes wondered whether I should have him committed or not…. Don't feel guilty, though. It wasn't _all_ because of you. The boy has issues, and he doesn't deal with them in a healthy fashion."

"He's very self-destructive," the detective mumbled.

"Exactly."

"I've got to do something about that," Saguru sighed.

"Just love the little loon." Chikage shrugged. "That's all you can do. Hopefully he'll see how much you love him and start to love himself more. I'm going to call him down now. Are you ready?"

"Do I look okay?" The lovesick sleuth swallowed hard.

His throat felt like an arid desert baking in the midday sun.

Chikage smiled, giving the detective a once over—dress slacks, dress shirt, suit vest, and tie. "To die for, Detective, if you'd just smile. Have some confidence. You could be wearing pajamas, and Kaito would still find you attractive…actually, he might prefer you in pjs. Do you sleep shirtless?"

The blonde blushed.

"Anyway, don't worry. It's just your first date; there'll be hundreds more. It's an important event, but it's not a deal breaker. Kaito loves musicals and expensive food. As long as you don't order fish, he'll be happy. You two could be ordering pizza and watching a movie, for all he cares. He's happy just being with you, so relax."

"T-Thank you, Kuroba-san," Saguru stuttered, breaking into a gigantic grin.

"Don't worry about it," Chikage replied with a wink. "Kaito! Your boyfriend's here!"

"Coming!" the reply echoed down the stairwell, making the Brit's heart speed up.

And then Kaito slowly descended the stairs, a smug half-grin cemented on his face. "Hey," he chuckled.

He looked absolutely beddable with his messy hair and slightly disheveled clothing.

"Hello yourself," Saguru whispered, feeling quite giddy.

Dear lord his boyfriend was hott!

Kaito leisurely approached, stopping so that he was standing right in front of Hakuba, a breath away, without actually touching him. He smirked, leaning in like he was aiming for Saguru's lips, but he paused mid-motion and rocked back on his heels. "So…you gonna kiss me, or what?"

Ohoo! A challenge!

"Right in front of your mother?" Saguru chuckled, leaning forward and pulling back, teasing just as Kaito had teased him.

"I'm not even here!" Chikage sang, getting out the camera.

"She says she's not here," Kaito relayed the information.

"Well, if she's not here," the blonde whispered, leaning in again, but this time going all the way so that their lips brushed.

Kaito's arms wrapped around Saguru's neck, and things only escalated from there.

The gentleman did his best to keep it from getting too raunchy, though. After all, his future mother-in-law _was_ digitally documenting the event.

They broke away and smiled like maniacs at each other for an entire minute.

Hakuba blinked. "There's something in your hair. Let me get it for you." He gently tucked a strand of Kaito's hair behind his ear, and when he pulled his hand back, he was holding a scarlet rose. "Wonder how that got there. Though, knowing you…" He held out the flower to his love.

Kaito blushed, smile widening. "Th-Thank you. So that's what it feels like whenever I do that to people. Thanks, Saguru."

"It took me days to learn how to do that," Saguru chuckled. "But…if it makes you happy."

The shorter boy leaned in and gave his boyfriend a reward for his efforts.

"Hold that pose," Chikage commanded, snapping away.

"Mooooom!" Kaito groaned.

"What? You two are adorable! And it's not like you're ever going to have another first date, Kaito…unless you screw this up royally." There was a threat in there somewhere. "Now, Saguru-kun, if I could have you put your arm around his waist? Kaito, rest your head against his shoulder. Now smile!"

The couple did as asked (one half a little more compliant than the other).

"Now get out of here. You can make out later, but you don't want to be late for the show," Chikage insisted, ushering them towards the door. "I'll put the rose in a vase for you, Honey. Text me in the morning." She took the flower and turned to Hakuba. "Saguru-kun, do be gentle with him; it's his first time."

"Mother!" Kaito groaned, both boys turning as red as cherry tomatoes.

"Have fuuun!" Chikage sang, shutting the door behind them.

Her smile faded a little as soon as they were gone.

Her baby was growing up and leaving her, but at least he had found an exceptional mate.

000

"…and the music was spectacular!" Kaito gushed over dinner. "I especially liked A Little Fall of Rain. God, that was beautiful. I normally don't cry at movies or whatever, but that was really…I don't even know. It was fantabulous. Thanks so much for taking me to see it!"

"I'm just glad you liked it so much," Saguru chuckled, perfectly content to listen to his beloved's chatter for the rest of his life. "Who was your favorite character?"

"Eponine all the way. I liked Jean Valjean too…. You like Javert, don't you?" Kaito smiled, leaning forward, oh so tempted to rest his elbows on the table. He resisted.

"I do." Saguru returned the smile. "How well you know me. You know, the struggle between Javert and Valjean sort of reminds me of my own rivalry with a certain thief, though hopefully mine will end better."

"But…Valjean wasn't a bad guy. He only stole in order to feed his starving family. I think it makes a difference, if you steal for the right reasons," Kaito replied pensively, looking down into his plate at the salad there.

"Oh?" Saguru made a mental note. "I think so too."

The brunette blinked, looking up into those golden eyes. "Y-You do?"

Hakuba nodded. "I'm not as much of a stickler as Javert. I acknowledge that there are instances in which bending—even breaking—the law is the right thing to do. Those cases are few and far between, though."

Kaito nodded, feeling overwhelmingly relieved.

"What do you make of the Innkeeper and his wife?"

The older teen snorted. "Those crooks? They just made me angry. How can you be so corrupt? I mean…stealing like that is just wrong!"

"This from the Kaitou Kid…'s aficionado," Saguru amended at the last second.

"Kid's different," Kaito mumbled.

"You think so? I disagree…but…maybe if you were to explain your reasoning, I could most likely be convinced to see things your way. I have seen overwhelming evidence that Kid is a good person, and he often exposes fraud or benefits those he's steals from in some way, but…stealing priceless gems is nothing like stealing a loaf of bread to feed a starving family. I'd be very interested in learning in what way Kid is more similar to Valjean than the Innkeepers. I want to believe that he has a good reason." Saguru paused and allowed Kaito to make his move.

"Not tonight," Kaito whispered, poking at the salad. "But…eventually. I promise, I'll explain everything eventually. You'll probably get angry and tell me that I should have gone to the police, but…I think you'll be able to understand, and I think you would have done the same thing that I did."

"Very well, Darling," Saguru sighed. "I'll suspend judgment for as long as it takes."

"Sorry."

The blonde waved it away with a smile. "Don't be. As long as you tell me eventually…well…soonish."

"I need to think about what would be safe for you to know," Kaito explained. "I don't want to tell you too much and get you killed."

"K-Killed?" Saguru blinked. Then he remembered the shootings at the Kid heists. Why had he never put two and two together? "Kaito—"

"—Saguru, I don't want to talk about this on our first date," Kaito stated firmly. "I promised to tell you, and I always keep my word, so…be patient, okay?"

Saguru frowned. "…I love you. You're not allowed to die."

"How's this? I'll die when you do."

"That…doesn't sound half bad, actually." Saguru shrugged.

"Great." Kaito blinked. "You know, death isn't very romantic. Tell me I'm pretty."

"You're gorgeous. Angelic, glorious, divine," Saguru rattled off the list, meaning every word.

"So's your face," Kaito snickered. "So what's that? Can I try a bite?" The imp indicated the foreign substance on his boyfriend's plate.

"Say 'ah.'" Saguru held out his fork.

"Ah," Kaito obliged. "That's really good!" He sang. "Can I have another bite? What is that?"

"Escargot," Saguru explained, feeding his darling again.

"What's escargot?" Kaito blinked.

"Snails." The Brit shrugged.

Kaito blinked. "Please tell me you're not serious."

Saguru blinked. Then laughed.

"That's disgusting!" Kaito shrieked as quietly as possible so as not to draw attention.

"But you said that it was good," the detective continued to chuckle.

"Yeah, but…!" Kaito crinkled his nose. "Don't tell me what it is next time."

"Want another bite?" Saguru held out the fork.

"Yes," the magician pouted.

000

They walked around for a while after dinner, discretely holding hands and chatting quietly.

"I should get you home soon," Saguru whispered when the distant clock tower started to toll ten.

"It's still early," Kaito whined, giving his boyfriend's hand a squeeze. "Besides, I don't want to go home." The brunette came to a stop under a streetlamp and looked his detective right in the eye. "Take me home with you."

"Kaito," Saguru sighed, giving their surroundings a cursory glance before pulling his boyfriend into his arms and planting a kiss on his forehead. "My dove, you know I love you to pieces, but I don't want to sleep with you yet. I'm not ready for that kind of physical relationship. It's not healthy to throw physical intimacy into the mix right at the beginning. We need to go slow; just give it a month or two, please."

"I…I didn't mean…" Kaito started to chuckle, giving his love a peck on the jaw. "I know, Saguru, and I respect your decision. All I meant was that I wanted to go home with you and snuggle. I want to spend more time with you. I'm not ready to say goodnight yet."

"Oh." Saguru blinked. "Oh, is that all? Of course you can come over to snuggle…as long as you keep your clothes on and hands away from inappropriate areas of my anatomy."

"I promise I won't try to seduce you," the magician swore into Hakuba's ear, letting his lips brush the outer shell sensually.

"God, you don't even have to _try_; you're doing it already," Saguru whimpered.

"Can I spend the night? Please?" the manipulative teen begged.

"Alright. Let's drop by your house and pick up an overnight bag," the detective quickly changed his tune, taking Kaito by the hand and almost dragging the boy back to his house.

The sooner he got his boyfriend home and in bed, the better.

"_Two months,"_ he kept reminding himself throughout the night. _"Two months at the very least. The Successful Relationships book said to wait."_

Two months became one as that lithe, sinewy body pressed up against his, and one month slowly trickled away into three weeks, two weeks, one!

"_At the very, absolute least you have to wait one week, Saguru! Get your head out of your pants!"_

Thankfully, at that point, Kaito eased up a little. "Am I making you uncomfortable, Love?" the imp snickered, pinching the Brit's bum.

"You _know_ you are," Hakuba growled softly. "You're making this rather difficult for me, and if you don't stop, I'll be forced to ban you from my bed."

Kaito smiled sheepishly, pushing himself up to kiss his boyfriend on the cheek. "I loooove you."

"You love to torture me, you do," the Englishman grumbled. "You make it very hard to remember that I'm a gentleman."

"Sometimes you just need to give in to your primal instincts." Kaito shrugged.

"Not now," Saguru insisted. "I want our first time to be special."

"It'll be special enough so long as it's you I'm with," the magician stated simply. "We could make love in a broom closet, for all I care. Honestly, anywhere's fine."

"But I want to take you to Paris," Saguru sighed. "I want to take you out to dinner at a gourmet restaurant, show you around town so that you can see Paris all lit up at night, and then bring you back to the most expensive hotel in town to make love to you in the honeymoon suite."

Kaito blinked. "P-Paris? Saguru, you don't have to do that; I was serious about the broom closet. _Anywhere_ is fine as long as it's with you. You don't have to cart me halfway around the world and spend all that money just to make love to me. Here's fine. Now's fine. Just like this is _fine_."

"It is most certainly not!" Saguru insisted. "You are the most amazing, wonderful person I've ever met, and you deserve to be treated like—and forgive the gender of the noun, but—a princess. I feel so unbelievably blessed that someone like you loves someone like me, Kaito. I know you don't want anything, but I want to give you everything. I love you, and I want to spoil you rotten, so please, please let me."

"You're the amazing one, Saguru. I'm the one that's blessed," Kaito whispered, nuzzling his boyfriend's ear. "I…I'm not like you. I don't have money or social status…. All I've got to give you is myself, and I don't know if that'll always be enough, but…I'll give you all of me. If it's really important to you that you take me to Paris and give me the royal treatment, that's what we'll do. I just…I feel bad, since I can't give you anything in return."

"Just having you is more than enough," Saguru chuckled, giving Kaito's ear a nip. "Besides, the trip to Paris is more for me than for you. You don't really want to go and be pampered, do you?"

"Not really." Kaito grumbled. "I'd rather we just get naked right here and now, but…"

"Then you tolerating and going along with my Prince Charming complex is more than enough compensation." Hakuba smirked.

Kaito blinked. "Geez. Why do you have to go and make so much sense?"

"Because I know with whom I am dealing, and with you it's either logic or nonsense."

Kaito nodded, silently conceding defeat. "So…when are you taking me to Paris?"

"In a month or two, my dove," Saguru assured.

"How about at the end of June for my birthday?" Kaito suggested. "We can't just tell our parents that we're going to Europe to make love, but they'd probably buy a trip to Paris for my birthday."

"I'll make the preparations then," the blonde promised.

"Saguru?" Kaito whispered breathily.

"Yes, Love?" Saguru mumbled, giving his thief an Eskimo kiss.

"This was the best first date of my entire life."

"Mine too," Saguru chuckled in response, wrapping an arm around Kaito's waist and pulling him closer.

….

$(^.^)$

Mikau: My Zumba instructor's little girl was wearing her hair in pigtails today, and it reminded me of this emot I did back in…Come to Taunt Me, maybe? Anyway, I did Aqua Zumba for the first time today. It's basically the same as regular Zumba, but in a pool. With water resistance. It was fun. (I mean that both literally and sarcastically). It was tough, but I'll probably go back next week. In other news, sometimes when writing and thinking about the characters' ages (technically they don't age. Even though time passes, they remain forever class 2B.) I think, "They're seventeen. Do seventeen year-old boys really behave like this? Good lord, my little brother's seventeen and a half!" Maybe seventeen year-olds with love lives do. My little brother has MMORPGs. Then again, I really didn't have a love life at seventeen. I had musical theatre. I still don't have a love life. Gasp! I remain calm by telling myself that my future mate is currently in Japan. I am currently not. Therefore, I don't have to worry about it until I get back there and remain single. Instant inner peace. Man, I'm blathering a lot tonight. Sorry. Ignore me and my personal life. Thanks for reading the chapter, and take care!


	5. Omake 2: The All Important Introduction

Mikau: Hey everyone! This isn't the omake I promised, but Saia wanted to see a scene where Kaito meets Hakuba's parents, and chronologically that comes before Paris. Another note: I don't know where my brain was, but during the last page of the last chapter, my mind thought it was May (probably cause it's May in real life. It took me two whole days for me to realize that that was why I thought it was May in the story). However, it's February, thus making waiting for Kaito's birthday not one month, but four after the first date. So, pretend that Kaito suggested they go at the end of March for spring break, okay? Thanks. This chapter's dedicated to Saia. Thanks to Cyanide Flowers, athieisademon, Saia, and Canadian for reviewing! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I'd have the parents make more appearances. Everyone has really interesting parents, but they hardly eve show up.

….

The All-Important Introduction

"I was thinking," Kaito said softly, finally taking that blasted sucker out of his mouth with a decisive pop that sent shivers down Saguru's spine and straight to a very specific part of his anatomy.

"Huh?" Hakuba replied intelligently, blinking until his wits returned.

The lollipop had been very distracting.

Kaito turned those big, gorgeous violet eyes on him and said, "When are you going to introduce me to your parents? I mean, well, I've met Baaya, but…you've already met my mom and Jii-chan. When do I get to meet _your_ parents?"

Saguru felt his skin burning under that intent gaze. "Uh…you don't really have to meet my parents, do you?"

Kaito blinked. "I…don't?"

"No. I mean, why would you?" Hakuba chuckled nervously. The thought of explaining his _boy_friend terrified the poor blonde.

Kaito opened his mouth to say something along the lines of "Well, I don't know. I just kind of thought that we were in this for the long haul, and logic dictates that I have to meet your parents sometime, even if just at the wedding," but then he closed his mouth.

He nodded, saying, "I guess I don't," and going back to his lollipop.

Why didn't Saguru want to introduce him? Was he ashamed of Kaito? Did he foresee the end of their relationship, making the formal introduction unnecessary?

A loud banging on the bedroom door roused Kaito from his thoughts and Saguru from his fantasies.

"Saguru!" a gruff voice bellowed, and the door opened to reveal a giant, burly man with a funny mustache—Superintendent Hakuba. "Oh. I didn't know you had a friend over. Who's this?"

Kaito grinned, hoping he looked presentable. It looked like he'd be getting his wish after all.

Saguru blanched. "Uh…no one! This is just my friend, Kuroba Kaito. Did you need something, Father?"

Kaito's face fell. No one? Just a friend? He felt like his 'wife' status had been revoked and he'd been demoted to 'concubine.' Actually, the way Saguru said 'no one' made Kaito feel more like a prostitute.

"There's a case," the superintendent announced. "I was just heading out and thought I'd see if you wanted to come along, but it looks like you're busy."

"I was just leaving, actually," Kaito announced, getting to his feet and heading towards the door.

"Y-You were?" Saguru blinked, getting up to follow after his darling. "Weren't you spending the night?"

"Nope." The little brunette waved a nonchalant goodbye over his shoulder. "Have fun on your case." He stopped and bowed deeply to the senior Hakuba. "It was nice meeting you, Superintendent."

"Uh…you too, Kuroba-kun," the giant of a man nodded civilly and stepped out of Kaito's way.

000

Later that night, after the situation had been handled and those responsible brought to justice, Saguru checked his phone for messages and was very surprised to find an incensed text from Chikage.

It simply read: "Hakuba Saguru, what did you do to my son?" followed by many a disapproving or angry emoticon.

Saguru blinked. "Nothing to my knowledge. I'm terribly sorry. What's wrong with Kaito?"

"He won't tell me, but he's up in his room sobbing. What did you do?"

He could tell that his future mother-in-law was getting ready to tar and feather him.

"I'll…I'll find out and make it better," Saguru promised, quickly typing out a "Hey. How are you?" text to his beloved.

"Me? Just fine, thank you. How are you?" The detective could easily read the heavy sarcasm not conveyed by the text itself.

"Confused because my boyfriend's mother is sending me threatening text messages. What's wrong, Kaito?" Hakuba responded.

"Boyfriend? Since when am I your boyfriend?" Kaito bit back with venom.

"Since Valentine's." Saguru frowned. What was this about? "You know that. Have you suddenly come down with amnesia, Dove?"

"No. I was just confused because you told your father I was no one—just your friend. Are we dating again now? I wasn't aware that you could just decide to break up and then get back together with me whenever you felt like it."

Saguru blinked. "Oh." He bit his lip and quickly typed, "Kaito, I'm sorry. Please don't cry. I'm coming over to explain in person."

"Don't bother. I don't want to see you." His beloved was such a child sometimes.

"I'm coming anyway, and I'm bringing chocolate."

Kaito failed to reply for a solid minute as he struggled inwardly. "Okay. I'll take the chocolate, but you better have a damn good apology. Don't you dare buy me cheap chocolate, either; I won't even let you in the door. I want freaking designer chocolate, Saguru."

"We'll see what's still open. I might have to buy cheap chocolate tonight, but I'll buy you designer chocolate for tomorrow and the day after…and then all you want when we're in Paris. Will that be satisfactory?"

"…Yes."

000

"I'm sorry," Saguru said emphatically as soon as Kaito opened his bedroom door.

The cute little brunette glared, mildly annoyed. His eyes and cheeks were red and puffy. He held out his hand for chocolate.

Saguru held out the box of truffles—one of Kaito's favorites—tentatively as if Kaito might bite his hand off.

The magician snapped up the box of chocolates and turned his back on the detective. "I'm still mad at you," he muttered, taking a seat on the bed.

"Kaito…" Saguru moved to follow, but Kaito stopped him.

"I'd much rather you stand, if it's all the same." His beloved smiled sweetly but gave off the aura of a ticked cat. He could practically see Kaito's tail twitching irately back and forth.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, Love," Saguru pleaded his case, "and I assure you that that's not the way I think of you at all, but what was I supposed to tell my father?"

Kaito shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the truth?" He smiled again, and it was the most sincerely insincere thing.

"Darling, listen. I _can't_ tell my parents that I'm dating you," Saguru sighed.

The brunette rose to his feet, enraged. He grabbed a throw pillow and smacked the blonde with it as he cried. "You bastard! So I'm not good enough to show to your parents, am I? Well, I'm sorry that I'm not rich—that I don't have a pedigree!"

"Kaito! It's not that at all!" Saguru grabbed his boyfriend, pinning his arms to stop the pillow onslaught. "It's not you; it's them! You know how much I love you—worship you. You know how unworthy I feel…how blest I feel to be able to call you mine…. My parents don't know that I'm gay, and I have no idea how I'm going to tell them, so I can't introduce you."

"Just man up and tell them," Kaito snorted, letting the pillow drop and falling forward into his boyfriend's arms.

"I…I don't want them to reject us," Saguru mumbled, pulling Kaito in a little closer and kissing his left temple. "I can't tell them."

"You have to," the smaller teen muttered. "Besides, what's it matter? They've been rejecting you your whole life. At least now you have me to stand beside you."

"I…"

"If you won't introduce me to your parents, it's over. I'm sorry, but I won't be a secret Saguru. Secrets are something that you're ashamed of. I don't want to hide, because hiding means you've done something wrong. If they don't like it, screw them, but real, official couples get introduced to their in-laws, and we're a real, official couple. You talk bs all the time about all the crazy, fairytale things I deserve, but, Saguru, I just want all the rights that het couples have. I'm sorry for bullying you into this, but you're not being fair to me either. If you want, I can be there, right by your side, when you tell them. Saguru, I just want to be a part of your family like you get to be a part of mine." Kaito sniffled, burying his face in the blonde's neck.

Saguru sighed. "I get it, Kaito. It's okay. I get it. You're right. There's no reason why I should keep you a secret, and you _do_ deserve everything stupid mainstream couples get, but…you already are a part of my family. Baaya's really all that I have, but, regardless, I shall speak with my mother and father. I make no promises, but I'll see if they'll agree to meet with you."

"Thanks," Kaito chuckled, giving Saguru's neck a little bite. "Wanna spend the night? I promise not to seduce you before Paris."

"You always say that," Saguru chuckled breathing a huge sigh of relief. "You're not mad at me anymore?"

"Nope. I got chocolate, and I'm going to get my way, so there's no problem." The mischievous teen leaned back and smiled impishly at his mate.

"You do realize that my father could very well throw me out when I tell him, don't you?" Saguru sighed, oddly unable to let himself worry about it too much when Kaito was hanging off of him like that.

"You can come live here. Bring Baaya too; she and Mom get along well." Kaito playfully nipped his jaw before breaking away and going out into the hall to the top of the stairs. "Mooom!"

"Yeees?" Chikage called up, coming to stand at the foot of the stairwell.

"Saguru's staying the night. That okay?"

"Fight all over?" the concerned mother checked.

"Yep," Kaito chuckled, mouthing the word "whipped."

Chikage matched her son's grin, giving him a thumbs up. "Do you two need supplies? I got some the other day in case something like this happened. I wasn't quite sure what size to get, though."

"Mooooom!" Kaito groaned. "We're not doing stuff like that yet."

"Well, whenever you do decide to…you know…they're in the hall closet," Chikage replied helpfully.

"Thanks, Mom." Kaito slunk away, blushing madly.

000

"Father, I wish to speak with you," Saguru stated calmly, without stuttering, after being admitted into the superintendent's study.

"About what, Son?" Remarkably, his father actually stopped typing, turned around in his chair, and looked right at Saguru.

Saguru blinked, this unprecedented event shocking him and making him lose his nerve. "Uh…about…homosexuals, actually."

The policeman blinked and then frowned. "What about…homosexuals?" He said the word as if it were dirty.

Saguru gulped. Well, this certainly wasn't going to go well. "I was wondering what you thought of them…their rights…things like that."

"I don't have time to waste on this, Saguru," his father snorted, turning back around to face the computer screen.

It was actually a lot easier this way—talking to his father's back like normal—without those eyes on him.

"So…I take it you don't approve?" Saguru sighed softly, going to stand up against the bookshelf on the wall closest to the door.

"Saguru, those people are filthy degenerates. There's something wrong with their heads—science has proven it. No more talk of this," the superintendent ordered as if he were talking to one of his subordinates.

"It may be a mutation, but I don't necessarily think it's—"

"—Saguru, those people are sick freaks. They need to be eradicated from society to stop them from multiplying and spreading their disease to others," his father preached.

First of all, Saguru thought, homosexuality is not infectious, and secondly, homosexuals do not reproduce, so they can't spread anything in any way, shape or form. Unless his father was talking about AIDS, but that was just a matter of using protection and getting educated.

"Would you still think that, if I told you that I was gay?" Saguru waited, holding his breath through his father's pregnant pause.

"No son of mine would turn out gay." It was almost a growl.

Saguru sighed, saying a short prayer to the pantheon, hoping someone would be available to take his call. "The reason I ask is that my boyfriend wants to meet you, but I wasn't quite sure how you would react to him."

The typing stopped.

Superintendent Hakuba turned around in his chair and stared his son down. "What. Did you say?"

"My boyfriend wants to meet you," Saguru repeated without flinching. It was funny. Just the fact that he was doing this for Kaito made it exponentially easier. "I thought we could have him over for dinner this week."

"Your what?" his father spit.

"My boyfriend," Saguru said it again firmly, still holding his ground.

"I'll say it one more time, Saguru. Your _what_?"

"My _boyfriend_," Saguru returned every bit as strongly as his father. "The man that I'm in love with, the guy that I'm dating, my life partner, my mate, my beloved, my other half, or my soulmate—take your pick, Father."

All of the ferocity faded from Superintendent Hakuba's voice when he saw that Saguru would not yield. "Son, you're ill. We'll get you to a doctor. Sure, they haven't found a cure yet, but—"

"—Father, shut up. The only sickness I could be accused of having is lovesickness. I've been in love with this man for a good three years now, and he finally loves me back. I don't care if you're happy for me, disgusted, or angry because it doesn't matter. This isn't about me being gay—this is about you meeting my boyfriend because that's what will make him happy, and God knows, I'd do anything to make him happy. Now, I ask you this: Father, will you please have dinner with my boyfriend and myself?"

"Saguru…" The superintendent frowned making a face similar to one who had just been asked to consume bovine phallus.

"In all my life, when have I ever asked you for anything? I remember twice. The first time, when I was eight years old and the other kids at school were bullying me, I told you I was lonely and asked if you would buy me a dog. Do you remember what you said, Father? You said no and told me that I wasn't trying hard enough with my classmates. The second time was when I was seventeen. I asked you to get me on the Kaitou Kid Taskforce, since they would never accept one so young without some outside influence, but since that day, I have never relied upon you to keep my spot on the team. I've earned it. I've proven to everyone that I have a right to be there. Sure, you may have given me things from time to time, Father, but when have I ever _asked_ you for anything?"

"Saguru, this is preposterous. You can't seriously expect me to sit down to dinner with someone…someone like _that_." His father turned up his nose in disgust. "I think you're just confused, Son. We'll find you a nice girl, and you'll see."

"Father, I. Like. MEN," the blonde spit, his hands balling into fists. "And right now I'm madly in love with one in particular, so will you meet him or not?"

"Saguru…" his father started again, brow furrowing.

"Look, Father. Don't you think you owe me? Somewhere deep down, don't you feel guilty? You've missed everything—school plays, recitals, award ceremonies, teachers' conferences, science fairs, and even my _birth_. You've never been there for me, so I ask you, to make up for almost two decades of being a worthless parent, will you or will you not spend one hour having dinner with my boyfriend?"

The room fell silent.

Superintendent Hakuba nodded.

000

"Hey," Kaito sang smoothly when Saguru opened the front door that Tuesday. "How do I look?"

Hakuba didn't understand how his boyfriend could be so calm. Saguru himself was a wreck, but Kaito's tight, preppy outfit complete with sweater vest and tie was enough to distract his nerves. "Did I ever tell you that I have a uniform fetish? You look like a college prep school boy."

"Oh?" Kaito chuckled heartily. "Well, then. After Paris I'll be sure to come over wearing this sometime."

"Come in, Dove." Saguru motioned inside, giving Kaito's cheek a peck. "They're waiting in the dining room."

Superintendent Hakuba blinked when he saw the boy his son was dating walk in with Saguru's arm around his waist, Saguru's hand possessively resting on the brunette's hip. "You're that boy from the other day." He blinked again.

"Yep," Kaito chuckled sheepishly. "Nice to be properly introduced to you, Superintendent."

"How long have you two been dating?" He turned to his son, but the boyfriend answered.

"We've been official since Valentine's Day, but…we've been crazy about each other for a lot longer." The Kuroba boy smiled sweetly, catching Saguru's eye.

His son smiled. SMILED. Saguru never smiled.

"Hey, Baaya!" The skinny brunette greeted the housekeeper with a kiss on the cheek as she entered with dishes. He helped her set them out on the table.

"Such a dear," the old woman cooed. "You could learn a thing or two from him, Bocchama."

"Saguru helps out whenever he's over at my house," the short little thing defended his son. "Oh, I didn't tell you this, but you'll never guess what he did to me the other day. I nearly broke up with him on the spot," he grumbled like a gossiping housewife.

"Here we go again," Saguru sighed, leaning over a chair and hiding his face in shame. "I apologized profusely."

"He did." Kuroba-kun smiled impishly, biting his bottom lip coquettishly. "_Profusely_, but, get this: the other day when the superintendent walked in and ask who I was, Saguru said I was no one, just a friend."

"Saguru! You didn't!" Baaya gasped, glaring at her surrogate son.

Saguru sighed. "I said I was sorry. What did you expect me to do?"

Kaito shrugged. "Say something along the lines of 'Dad, this is the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with."

The Kuroba boy and his son stared into each other's eyes for a bit before the brunette smiled, breaking the tension. He ruffled Saguru's blonde locks and chuckled. "It's okay, Honey, but know that if you ever do that to me again, I'll kill you." Somehow, the little guy managed to look perfectly pleasant while threatening the death penalty. "I don't care who asks you, whether it's family, a friend, or even a coworker. If someone asks you who I am, your answer better be 'my boyfriend,' 'my fiancé,' or 'my husband.' Are we clear, Saguru?"

"Yes, Dear," his son chuckled, looking lovingly at the scary little brunette.

"Oh. You know, I forgot the glasses," Baaya sighed, starting to get to her feet again.

"We'll go get 'em, Baaya," Kaito, who was still standing, urged the elderly woman to remain seated. "Come on, Guru." He took Saguru by the hand and dragged him into the kitchen.

"Thank you so much, Sweetheart."

Hakuba Senior blinked. "Baaya, why does that boy know where we keep the glasses? I don't even know where we keep the glasses."

"He's over here quite a bit, Sir. Ever since Sa—Bocchama got back, Kaito-kun has been coming over nearly every day. When he doesn't, the young master goes over to the Kuroba's house. Kaito-kun always helps out when he's here; he's really a kind, thoughtful boy."

"Baaya, how long have you known that Saguru was…you know…that he liked…other men?" the superintendent inquired, scrunching up his nose.

The boy's surrogate mother was quite for a moment, not sure if it was something she should share. "He got his first crush on a classmate when he was ten, but Kaito-kun is the only person he's ever dated."

It was then that the teens came back, glasses in hand, and they started the dinner.

Conversation was kept up mostly by the Kuroba boy and Baaya, but Saguru pitched in from time to time, and the Superintendent added a word here and there.

During that time, the senior Hakuba kept his eyes on his son. It was disturbing to find that the young man he had thought he'd known fairly well was a complete and total stranger to him.

Before, the superintendent had believed his son to be a shy, withdrawn boy—a serious and studious young man. Saguru had always seemed to be stoic and rather dull, but this young man before him was an entirely different person.

This Saguru smiled and laughed and told jokes. He was quiet, but not shy, and rather than being withdrawn, he was always interacting in little ways. He'd go out of his way to touch his boyfriend to let his fingers touch his face or let an elbow or a knee bump. He was always engaged, making eye contact and nodding. This Saguru was full of life and very much in love with the Kuroba boy.

The superintendent's focus switched from his son to the boyfriend as Saguru began to speak.

It quickly became obvious that the little brunette was very much attracted to his son as well. Kuroba-kun absolutely glowed while gazing at the blonde.

He would never admit it out loud, but it was positively adorable watching young love like that. Even though he still found the idea of two men together to be absolutely disgusting, after seeing Saguru and Kuroba-kun, he had to admit that he was not as completely against it as he had once been.

The evening ended on an unexpected note.

As they were saying goodbye, the superintendent held out his hand for the brunette to shake and said, "I'm really glad that we got the opportunity to meet, Kuroba-kun. Feel free to come over to eat any time you're free."

"Thank you, Sir," the young man replied enthusiastically as he shook the much larger man's hand. "It was an honor getting to sit down to dinner with you. Thanks again for agreeing to meet me. Saguru said that you were a little reluctant, but…I really wanted to meet you since you're an important part of Saguru's life, and I plan on being one too. I hope we can get along in the future too, Sir, for Saguru's sake."

The man blinked. Holy…this kid was really serious. "S-Same here."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm about to French kiss your son. I thought I should warn you so that you can look away, if it makes you uncomfortable." That was about all the warning Kuroba-kun gave before wrapping his arms around Saguru's neck and swallowing his son's tonsils.

The superintendent blinked, blushed, and slunk out into the hall. He couldn't help but look back, though and watch.

It was the most revolting display of affection he had ever seen.

He still watched though, even after they broke apart giggling like children.

"Thank you for doing this for me," Kuroba-kun whispered into Saguru's lips. "It must have been really hard to tell your father."

"Actually, it wasn't so bad. I've wanted to say a lot of things to that man, but, my whole life, I've been unable to. Because I was doing it for you, I managed to get it all off my chest, so…thank you…for giving me strength," Saguru laughed sheepishly as he kissed his boyfriend on the forehead.

"Aww…" the little brunette cooed. "You always say things like that, and I feel like my legs are going to give out."

"I'll catch you, if you ever fall over," Saguru promised.

"You sound like you're right out of a storybook." Kuroba-kun pressed a kiss to Saguru's jaw. "Just…let me know if there's anything I can ever do for you. Whatever it is, you've earned it."

Saguru paused and gulped before he spoke again. "…Do…do you have a nurse's uniform?"

"You mean scrubs, or bubblegum pink, frilly dress and a nurse's cap?" Kuroba-kun returned as if Saguru's question had been completely normal.

"The…second one."

The brunette smirked like a dinosaur. "Would you want me in full drag with breasts and everything, or—"

"—Just as you are is fine. I…I don't like breasts."

The superintendent couldn't believe what he was hearing. He considered making a run for it, but then the couple bid their farewells, kissed more chastely than the first time, and went their separate ways.

"F-Father?" Saguru gasped, noticing Hakuba Senior standing in the hall. "I-I thought that you'd gone."

"S-Saguru, I…" the superintendent gulped. "…I just wanted to tell you that I was sorry. I never should have said those terrible things about…you know. Even though I still think that it's disgusting and wrong…I…just seeing you with that Kuroba boy…he makes you happy, doesn't he?"

"Y-Yes, Sir," Saguru replied, still mortified that his father had overheard such a private conversation.

"…Then…I support you two. Make sure you hold onto this one because I don't think I can go through this meeting your boyfriend again, but…Kuroba-kun's a good guy."

"Father, he's not just good, he's magnificent."

….

(^ - ^)

Mikau: My intent was to create a mustachioed emot. "It's a me, Mario?" Somehow, I just don't think so. The craziest thing happened today in my Altruism class. We're currently doing a case study of the AIDS epidemic, tying in all of the readings and work we've done the past eight weeks, and I'm extremely squeamish in the weirdest way. I've worked in a hospital before, seen live surgeries with open chest cavities and everything (super cool, by the way), give myself shots, and take my bloodsugar without any trouble (I have Type I Diabetes), however, just talking about diseasey things makes me pass out. It's been happening my entire life, and I don't know what to do about it. Seeing blood and guts and organs, I'm fine, but just _talking_ about AIDS leaves me out cold on the floor. So, today in class as we were discussing, I was feeling light-headed. One of my classmates left the room, and I was just about to get up and leave too when he went down, out cold in the hallway. I thought "Well great. I can't very well pass out too, now can I?" So, instead I got him a cold towel, gave him a granola bar since he hadn't eaten breakfast, and fanned him as a few other students and the Professor tended to him. I have never met another person who passes out like I do when talking about diseases. Mummsie couldn't believe it either when I called and told her. Absolutely crazy. Thanks for reading guys! Take care!


	6. Omake 3: Parents and Paris

Mikau: Hey guys! Nice to see you. This chapter is a continuation of Saia's "meet the parents" request along with Canadian's request to see the Paris trip. This one's dedicated to Canadian! Thanks as well to Saia for reviewing. I'm wondering if no one saw that the previous chapter was up. If you didn't, I'd appreciate it if you read and reviewed for last chapter as well as this one. I didn't get much feedback about last chapter, and I was wondering about it. If you don't want to take the time to do two separate reviews, that's fine, but could you tell me what you thought about last chapter too? I'm kind of worried about what happened with that. I mean, did it suck, was it so-so, or did you just not see that it was updated? Thanks. I'd really appreciate it. In the meantime, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I don't think the homosexual undertones would be as subtle. Have you ever really read the conversations between Kid and Nakamori-keibu? They're totally flirting. When Kaito says things like "I never run or hide from you, Nakamori-keibu. Let's meet again," and leaves him a flower which the good inspector joyously accepts, or when the inspector says "I caught you~! 3" while hugging Kid, it makes me wonder. I find myself thinking, "Just what kind of relationship did Toichi and Ginzo have, anyway? Does Kaito have a thing for older men?" There's also Aoko's blushing whenever Akako's around…and the worrying about Kaito doing perverted things to Akako thing. Anyway, I find it amusing, and I wonder if it's intentional. If I were writing it, the homosexual relationships would be more prominent because, frankly, I feel that there's a lot more canonical support for the same-sex relationships than the hetero ones. But that's just me. However, you're reading my shounen ai fic, so you probably agree. Either way, it's up to you to decide. Enjoy the chapter.

….

Omake Three: Parents and Paris

"Saguru, honey, what the hell makes you think I give a damn about what you do in bed?" his mother had snorted when he'd told her about Kaito.

The blonde blinked, blushing madly. "Uh…I…It's just that…I want you to meet him."

Helen Hakuba paused. "Really? Why? It's not like we're very close, Saguru. You don't need my approval; sleep with whoever you like."

"_Whomever,"_ Saguru mentally corrected, but dared not say anything out loud. "_He_ wants to meet you. I simply wish to make him happy. Will you please meet him, Mother?"

"Honey, I'm a tad busy to be flitting off to Japan to meet your little boyfriend," Helen replied, but it was obvious that she was making excuses.

"We could come to you," the younger Hakuba suggested. "I'm taking him to Paris next week for spring break. We could stop by and visit you in London for a day or two." And then he took out the big guns: "Father's already met Kaito, and they get along fairly well."

"Your _father_ has? And his head didn't explode when you told him you were gay?" she gasped incredulously.

"He was…a little upset, but once he met Kaito, he said that he supported us."

"Bring him by while you're in the area," Helen demanded.

Saguru could always count on his parents' rivalry to get what he wanted.

000

"I'm nervous," Kaito whispered as they stood on the front step of the manor on the outskirts of town.

Saguru gave his beloved's hand a little reassuring squeeze. "Don't be. You look wonderful, and she's bound to love you regardless, if only because my father approves of you. They have a terrible habit of trying to one-up each other."

The little brunette nodded, squeezing back as the door swung open and they were greeted by a fleet of maids in French uniforms.

Kaito was jealous. He would have given anything to grow up with an entire army of French maids at his beck and call.

"Saguru!" a commanding-sounding alto voice called out as the click-clack of high heels on marble floor swiftly approached.

A blue-eyed, blonde woman in designer clothes gave Saguru a stylish kiss to the side of both of his cheeks.

"Hello, Mother. You look well. Uh…this is Kaito Kuroba, my boyfriend." Saguru made the introductions in English, never letting go of Kaito's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hakuba," Kaito said in perfect English, amazing his boyfriend. He kissed his future mother-in-law's hand and made a rose appear. "It's easy to see where Saguru got his devilishly good looks."

Helen laughed. "Certainly not from his father! Dear lord, what was I thinking when I married the man? Pleasure's all mine, Dear, and call me Helen." Next the blonde woman turned to her son (who was still in an advanced state of shock). "Saguru, I love him. Though, I thought you said he didn't speak English well."

"He doesn't." Saguru blinked, turning to stare at Kaito accusatorily. "What happened to rejiizu ando jentarumen?"

The magician shrugged and smiled impishly. "I've been studying really hard since we started texting. I might have skipped school a lot, but I never skimped on my English studies."

"And why is that?" Last time Saguru had checked, Kaito hated English.

"Because I wanted to be able to communicate with your family and friends in England. You've spent a good deal of your life here, and I want to be able to be a part of that life too," Kaito stated it simply with a look of unwavering honesty and love in his eyes.

Saguru would have kissed him, if not for his mother and the French maid army. Instead, he cupped Kaito's cheek in his hand and smiled. "Thank you, Dove."

It was then that Helen really stopped and thought about the possibility that this might not be a passing phase and she might never have grandchildren. She comforted herself with the fact that grandchildren could be manufactured in petri dishes.

000

The rest of the day was spent sight-seeing and shopping. Helen mostly led the way, having the time of her life taking her future son-in-law to her favorite boutiques and buying him outfits.

"Saguru never lets me do this. I LOVE playing dress-up with guys, and he knows that, but he never lets me shop for him!" Helen complained, fixing Kaito's tie and slanting the hat he was wearing to the side. "Oh, Dear, you look fabulous! Just like a model, doesn't he, Saguru?"

Saguru nodded. "I'd say that you should try to make a career out of it, but I don't want anyone besides me ogling that delicious body of yours."

Kaito struck a sexy pose and chuckled in delight. "Thanks so much for the new clothes, Helen. Are you really sure that it's alright? I feel really bad, you spending money on me like this."

"Dear, you're doing me a favor; I've wanted to do this my whole life, but my own son won't let me. Besides, I've got money coming out of my ears. What else am I going to spend it on?" Helen laughed, getting together another snappy outfit for Kaito to try on.

After the boutiques, they hit up the palace to see the Changing of the Guard, had a traditional tea at a high class hotel, visited the Tower, and went to a few museums. They saw Parliament and Big Ben and even went up in the London Eye.

For Kaito, who was a bit jetlagged, it was an exhausting but exhilarating experience. "Bring me back to London sometime," he begged his boyfriend prettily as they headed back to the manor for the night. "Please?"

"Whenever you want," Saguru promised, happily nibbling on his darling's ear.

"Dear, you can come anytime you want," Helen chuckled. "even without my son. Anytime you feel like shopping or sight-seeing, you just let me know, and I'll fly you over for the weekend."

"R-Really?" Kaito's mouth nearly fell open in surprise. "Are you sure, Helen?"

"Positive, Dear. I _love_ shopping for others, and, hey, you're gay, right? So, do you get pedicures or manicures or go to the spa?"

The brunette blinked. "I…I could, if you wanted me to."

"Oh, excellent! You have no idea how much I've always wanted to have a girls' day out!"

"She's going to make you into the daughter she never had," Saguru warned, nuzzling Kaito's neck. "Watch out."

"I don't mind. I'm perfectly in touch with my feminine side," the older teen proudly announced. "I'm man enough to go hang out at the spa with your mother."

"Good. Maybe she'll stop trying to get me to go with her, then," Saguru snorted as they pulled up to the house.

Everyone got ready for bed, and Kaito was just about to retire to the guest bedroom he'd been provided with when Saguru raised an eyebrow and said, "Where do you think you're going?"

Kaito blinked. "Uh…bed?"

"This way." The blonde smiled hungrily, taking his boyfriend by the hips and pulling him into his own bedroom across the hall.

As soon as the door was shut, Saguru's lips latched onto Kaito's.

A few minutes later, the smaller teen was finally able to break away for air. "W-What brought that on?" he asked breathlessly, feeling a little light-headed.

"That was the culmination of every bloody time today you've made me want to kiss you silly but I couldn't because my mother was right there," Saguru quickly spit out before reattaching their lips.

Somewhere along the line, they ended up on Saguru's bed, hips rocking happily together as lips meshed.

"D-Do we…" Kaito gasped as Saguru moved his lips down the magician's neck. "…have to wa-wait for Paris…d-do you think?" He tried his hardest to keep his moans quiet.

Saguru pulled back and looked down intently at his lust-filled beloved. He then looked up at their surroundings and sighed after a moment. "Yes," he mumbled, lying down on his side next to Kaito. "Not here, Dove. This room is too full of painful memories."

"What about the guestroom? The bathroom? Is there a closet that would be okay? Like I've been saying this past month, I'm not really particular," Kaito insistently reminded him.

All Hakuba could do was chuckle. "Just hold out one more night, my love." He gave Kaito a gentle kiss on the right temple.

"You always leave me hanging," the imp grumbled, rolling over on his side and pressing his pelvis back to Saguru's. "I want you now."

"Patience. You've already waited a month; why not one day more?" Saguru whispered, rolling his beloved back over and wrapping his arms loosely around Kaito's body.

"Because I don't get why we didn't just jump into bed with each other the day you got back to Japan. I mean, I know you've explained it over and over and over about healthy relationships and all that nonsense about respecting me as a person and wanting everything to be magical for me, but…I don't know. It just doesn't make sense to me. We're obviously crazy for each other; why are we waiting? What's there to wait for?"

"The real reason? Our brains work differently, you know," Hakuba whispered right into Kaito's ear after a moment of silence. "It's due partially to the fact that I was raised here, but…I don't expect you to agree with or even understand my need for things to be this way, but please just humor me. This is a _big_ deal for me. I know that most people in Japan have no problem just sleeping with their partners before marriage because there's no concept of sin related to the act of sexual intercourse, but—"

Kaito blinked. "—Sin?"

Saguru frowned, wishing, not for the first time, that more than a mere two percent of the Japanese population was Christian. They had no religion with a concept of "sin." There was good and bad and a concept of taboo, but no "sin." There was no need to atone for sins, only the concept of doing rituals to restore purity after coming into contact with taboo things like blood or death.

"It's…sometimes translated as tsumi," he mumbled, biting his lip.

"Like…breaking the law?" Kaito tried his hardest to understand. A world religions lesson was not what he had been expecting when he'd been pulled into his boyfriend's bed.

Saguru's frown deepened. "Tsumi" could also be translated as "crime."

"Yes, I suppose that's the closest we're going to get," he sighed. "Think of sin as breaking God's laws."

"…Okay? And…it's against God's laws to sleep with me before we go to Paris?" Why had Kaito fallen for the half-British guy with the weirdo religion?

The detective sighed. "Not Paris, but before we're married."

"We can't get married. We're both _guys_." Kaito was trying really hard not to lose patience with Christianity. "Saguru, can't you just sleep with me now and then do some kind of ritual or something to get rid of the sin later? I really don't get what the problem is."

"It's not quite like Shinto, Kaito," he replied simply, not really wanting to get into confessions and pardons and the other intricacies of the religion he had been raised with. "The whole reason I've been wanting to set a specific date and take you to Paris is because, for me, it's kind of like a symbolic wedding night and honeymoon. I still want to formally propose to you, have a ceremony with family and friends, and then take you on a real honeymoon before we move in together, but…at least for me, there has to be some kind of 'official-ness' to our first time together."

Kaito blinked. "Oh. We'll wait then." He hurriedly freed himself from Saguru's arms and stumbled to his feet. "Night-night." He kissed his boyfriend on the forehead and almost managed to get away before the detective caught him by the wrist.

"Where are you going?" Saguru blinked, completely perplexed as to why there was no longer a warm body beside him.

"To sleep in the guestroom so that I'm not tempted to force you," Kaito lied plausibly.

Saguru blinked again, letting go of his beloved's wrist. "Oh. That's very…thoughtful of you."

"What can I say? I'm a thoughtful guy. I'll see you in the morning, Guru. Love you," Kaito tossed over his shoulder, desperate to get out of there as fast as humanly possible.

"Love you too, Dove," Saguru replied, still a little puzzled.

000

Crap. HOLY CRAP. Holy, _freaking_ crap, Saguru!

_Wedding night_? Honeymoon?

For the love of jumping off buildings, they were still kids! They were too young to get married!

Don't get me wrong, Kaito definitely planned on formally marrying (well, to the best of his ability as a bisexual man in a country where gay marriage was illegal) Hakuba Saguru in front of their family and friends, but NOT _yet_!

He dug out his phone and texted his mother, filling her in on the situation.

She replied that that was the sweetest thing.

Kaito imagined her chuckling to herself, and he was not amused. "This is _serious_, Mom!"

"Honey, relax. It's in no way legally binding. There's no paperwork or anything; it's just two kids screwing at some ritzy hotel. Deep breaths, Sweetheart. The ritualistic side of it is just for Saguru-kun's peace of mind. You're not Christian, so it's got nothing to do with you," Chikage assured her child.

"So…it's not like we're actually getting married, or anything," Kaito typed back, trying to keep from hyperventilating.

"He did say that he wanted a real wedding too, right? He said that this was just symbolic," Chikage reminded gently.

"Yeah, he did say that, so it's not like we're really getting married this time."

His mother chuckled. "Yes, Kaito. Just keep reminding yourself. Relax and enjoy it. You only get one first time."

Kaito paused and bit his lip before deciding to send his next text. "…It feels good, right? I mean…it doesn't hurt too much, does it? People wouldn't do it if it doesn't…I mean…right? I mean, you're first time was good, right?" He immediately regretted it as his entire face flushed.

"I cannot believe I'm having this conversation with my mother via text messaging!" he yelled into his pillow.

"Just go slow and say that it hurts when it hurts," Chikage advised after a long moment of consideration. "It doesn't hurt so much during the actual act because all the different chemicals block out the pain, but you'll be a little sore afterwards. Make Saguru-kun order room service for you. Don't worry, Sweetheart. You'll be fine." Chikage paused before adding, "All of my first times sucked expect when I was with Toichi. It wasn't really a matter of technique or anything—I'd had better—but I _loved_ him. Love is what's important, and you two love each other. Even if the first time sucks, you've got a lifetime of redos. Love you, Kaito."

Kaito smiled. "Thanks for the novel, Mom. Love you too."

000

They arrived in Paris the next day, and Kaito was a nervous wreck.

There were times when he briefly forgot about how later that night he would be expected to preform acrobatic feats in bed on cue, but the reprieve was always short-lived. He found himself dwelling on the night at hand time and time again.

Notre Dame was nice. The Eiffel Tower was cool. He was actually surprised that Saguru allowed him to visit the Louvre (ditto the day before with the crown jewels), and it was pretty okay (too big).

However, the young tourist couldn't fully appreciate the beauty around him over the deafening sound of "I'm going to mess up and it's going to suck and he's going to dump me right on the spot," playing on repeat inside his head.

Dinner at a high-class, romantic, candlelight establishment was quaint. Kaito was pretty sure that their meal was worth roughly the price of a new car. He wasn't quite sure how Euros worked. There weren't as many zeros, but he knew that one hundred Euros was a _great_ deal more than one hundred yen.

The way Saguru fed him was precious, but he could hardly taste the food.

After dinner, they did some strolling, taking in the scenery and enjoy each other's company. At least, Kaito slathered on his poker face and pretended like he was enjoying it. His mind was back in their hotel room—where it had been all day, actually—pacing, gazing nervously out the window, and occasionally sitting down on the bed to cry.

And then Kaito was back in their hotel room, carrying out very similar activities while he waited for Saguru to get out of the shower. Kaito had rushed into the bathroom as soon as they'd set foot into the lavish suite room (in which he was too afraid to touch anything for fear of breaking it and having to sell a kidney to replace it) and taken a nice, long, forty-five minute shower.

When he'd emerged, trading places with Saguru, he'd found the room lit with scented candles, and roses and chocolate had been laid out on the bed. Oh, man, and it was the really expensive stuff too: Richart, Pierre Marcolini, Debauve and Gallais, and La Maison du Chocolat! Some of that stuff cost hundreds of dollars for a pound!

Kaito began to panic—full-blown panic.

Just how much had Saguru spent on him? The plane ticket, the hotel, the food, the entrance fees, the transportation…Saguru had paid for it all, and none of it had been cheap (well, some attractions had been free, and public transportation was almost as reasonable as Japan's, but…).

Kaito looked at the honeymoon suite he was standing in and then out the window at the Paris skyline. He looked down at his pajama pants and t-shirt, and he felt absolutely mortified.

What the hell was he doing with a man as rich as Saguru? He was about to sleep with the son of the Superintendent of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and an heiress with some kind of title (what had she been? A duchess? A marquise? Countess? Baroness?), and who was he? The son of a pair of thieves.

What could he buy with all that Saguru had spent on him thus far? A house? A car? A small country?

What the hell was he doing in Paris? He didn't know anymore. He wanted to go home, but he couldn't because he was obligated to make sure that Saguru got his money's worth.

He felt sick.

He couldn't do this. It was going to be a disaster.

But he had to. There was no choice in the matter since they were already there, minutes away from hitting the sheets. He was stuck, but hadn't he wanted to come? He couldn't change his mind now. He'd wanted this for _months_. He'd never been joking when he'd flirted with Saguru via text. He'd wanted this.

The shower turned off, and Kaito's heart stopped in utter dread.

He took several deep, cleansing breaths, crazy gluing his poker face on so that there was absolutely, positively no way in hell that it would come off.

God, why couldn't they have just made love last night at Helen's manor? Spontaneity, he could do. It was romantic, authentic, and natural. This was unadulterated torture.

And then Saguru stepped into the room wearing his own pair of obnoxious plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt, and Kaito thought he would throw up right then and there.

He couldn't do it.

"I got the flowers…and the chocolates," he found himself saying with a coy smile.

"Oh? And do you like them?" Saguru chuckled, voice low and husky. His eyes were already undressing the scared little brunette.

"Very much so," Kaito purred, stepping forward somewhat like a hypnotized mouse slowly making its way towards the hungry cobra.

They met in the middle at the foot of the bed, and Saguru reached out to take his beloved into his arms.

"Ready?" Saguru gulped, eyes radiating arousal.

"Yeah," Kaito gulped for completely different reasons.

"_God, please no! Stop!"_ Kaito's brain shrieked as the soft kissing began.

He kissed back mechanically, letting Saguru's tongue do most of the work.

He nearly choked on that tongue as it eagerly explored the entirety of his mouth.

Saguru was _really_ passionate tonight.

Kaito felt humiliatingly inadequate.

And then he was lying on the bed, shirt gone, pants and boxers soon to follow. He closed his eyes and just let it happen. It had dawned upon him that all he really had to do was lie still and let Saguru do whatever he wanted.

He kept his eyes closed just following the blonde's lead, and he soon found himself naked.

"Kaito…" Saguru breathed, appreciating the view.

The thing about Kaito was that he could wear anything at all without embarrassment. Maid outfit? Speedo? Nurse uniform? Loincloth? No matter how little and reveling the outfit, there was never a problem. However, without a single thread covering his body, Kaito felt utterly ashamed.

He bit his lip. _"Don't cry."_

Poker face was slipping.

"_Don't cry. You can't cry,"_ he scolded.

"Kaito?" Some of the sexy in the detective's voice had been exchanged for concern.

Slowly, the brunette opened one eye, praying that he wouldn't break into tears as soon as he saw his boyfriend. "Something wrong?" he asked confidently, even though he felt anything but.

"I was going to ask you the same question. Everything okay? You don't look well," Saguru noted, frowning a bit.

"It's nothing. D-Don't stop." Dammit. He'd stuttered.

Saguru pulled back. "Kaito, what's wrong?"

He bit his lip and shook his head, screwing his eyes closed once again. "N-Nothing. J-Just…hurry up."

He'd lost it. His body was shaking and tears were forming at the corners of his eyes.

"No," Saguru intoned firmly, pulling the covers up and over his darling. "Not until you look at me and tell me what's wrong. I won't tolerate your bloody lies at a time like this, Kaito."

Kaito opened his eyes and began to sob, to the blonde's utter confusion. He rolled over and buried his face in a pillow, muffling his wails.

Saguru just blinked, completely shocked. After a beat, he jumped in with damage control, rubbing his little beloved's back and apologizing profusely for whatever he had done to make Kaito cry.

"It's stupid!" Kaito choked, feeling utterly ashamed. There he was, an almost fully-grown man, crying like a baby over nothing.

"It's not stupid if you're crying about it!" Saguru returned in a panic. What the blue blazes had he done wrong?

"I can't! I can't just make love on command like this! I've been stressing out all day, and I've been so worried that I haven't been able to enjoy anything! It's going to be terrible and you're going to dump me and all the money you've spent on me will be wasted because nothing I can do in bed is going to come close to the millions of yen you've spent for it!"

There was more blubbering about being nervous and unable to perform on command, but Saguru didn't really hear that. "This is about money?"

Kaito blinked several times, but he was unable to clear away the tears so that he could see the incredulous look on Saguru's face. "No…yes…maybe a little. I…it's definitely a factor. I wish we could have just slept together last night. It would have been perfect. I get all of your stupid religious reasons, but…I don't want it to be like this."

"Kaito…" Saguru breathed, dabbing at the little brunette's cheeks with the sheet.

"I don't belong in a place like this," Kaito sniffled. "I don't like all of this expensive junk. It just reminds me that I'm beneath you. It makes me feel inadequate. I just want you to take me to dinner at a family restaurant or a noodle shop or something and then bring me home and make love to me in your bed. I don't want all this expensive fairytale stuff. I'm not a princess, Guru, and I don't want to be treated like one. You may be Prince Charming, but I'm just Kaito. Sorry. I'm sorry." The smaller boy went back to whimpering softly into the pillow.

"_I'm_ the one who's sorry, Dove," Saguru whispered into Kaito's neck as he wrapped his arms tightly around his darling from behind. "I'm sorry, Kaito. I never knew that you felt that way. I…just always thought that you wanted to go at it anywhere and everywhere because you're a healthy young male. I didn't know that scheduling a specific time in a lavish setting made you uncomfortable. I…you're right. I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel like that."

Kaito rolled over so that he was facing his boyfriend. He wiped away the last of his tears with both palms and then placed his head right under Saguru's chin. "I didn't mean to make you feel guilty about it. I appreciate the gesture, and I know you were just trying to make me happy, but…I hate it when you try to buy my love. I know you have self-esteem issues thanks to Mommy and Daddy, but try a little harder to believe that I'd love you even without your expensive displays of affection. I fell in love with you, not your bank account."

Saguru gave Kaito a little squeeze and kissed his forehead gently. "I'll keep that in mind in the future. I'll…try to give you what you want rather than what you deserve, but…God, Kaito, I still want to spoil you rotten."

"Then spoil me gradually, from time to time. Spoiling me all at once like this is a little daunting," Kaito mumbled against the sensitive skin of Saguru's throat.

"Alright. I'll spoil you in slowly increasing increments in order to get you used to luxury," the detective planned.

"Sounds good," Kaito chuckled, pressing his lips to Saguru's neck. "Sorry for being so difficult, Guru."

"I wouldn't love you half as much, if you weren't," the blonde retorted with a laugh, pressing their bodies closer together through the sheet.

"What made you fall for me in the first place?" Kaito inquired out of curiosity.

"You're a mystery all wrapped up in a very handsome enigma. I told you before: you fascinate me, Kaito. You're my own personal riddle," the detective answered honestly as he breathed in the tantalizing scent of Kaito's shampoo and body wash.

"Will you stop loving me when the Kaitou Kid stops being a mystery?" Kaito wondered out loud before he could stop himself.

"No. _You're_ the mystery Kaito. Kid is the enigma," Saguru explained. "The mystery is the part that truly interests me, and even if I do manage to solve it one day, I don't think it will decrease my attraction to you. I keep finding more and more little things that I love about you the more time I spend with you."

"R-Really?" Kaito blinked.

"Yes," Saguru chuckled, the vibrations of his throat feeling good against the side of Kaito's face. "For instance, I used to think that your eyes were my favorite feature, and while I still find them absolutely enchanting, recently, I find myself utterly enthralled by your ears. They're sinfully beautiful."

"My ears?" Kaito laughed.

"Yes. I can't help but want to suck on them and run my tongue around the outer shell. Is that strange?" Suddenly Saguru found himself wondering if he'd scared the magician off.

"It's…kinky, actually." Kaito smirked. "I've never had my ears ravished. Go right ahead."

"Seriously?" If Saguru had had a tail, it would have been twitching in excitement.

"Seriously." Kaito nodded his permission, rolling over onto his back and bearing an ear to his boyfriend.

The sensation was absolutely delightful, Kaito found as he tried his hardest not to moan. However, when he did, he discovered that the sound only elicited more passionate ministrations from his blonde. He let himself make as much noise as possible after that.

The lips worked their way down his neck, lazily making a nice collar of lovebites before moving down to suck on Kaito's collarbone.

"S-Saguru?" Kaito gasped.

The detective _loved_ the sound of his name pronounced in that love-drunk tone of voice. "Hm?"

"You l-love me, right?" Kaito moaned.

"Yes," Saguru responded, enthusiastically announcing "I love you" between fervent kisses.

"I love you too," the half-delirious young man (well, the brunette one. They were rather both half-delirious at the time) groaned. "So, let's make love, okay?"

"I thought you didn't want to…?" Saguru blinked.

"I changed my mind. Hurry up before I change it again and we both die virgins due to our inability to agree upon an acceptable time to sleep together," Kaito snapped, pulling those glorious lips back to his own.

000

"I liked being on top better," Saguru groaned the following morning. "However, lying on my back was more comfortable."

"Aw…poor baby," Kaito teased, smacking his lover on the butt. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

"You're bigger than I am…" the blonde whined, drying off and searching his suitcase for a suitable outfit.

"Yeah, but my body's a lot smaller than yours," Kaito pretended to argue and then went over to kiss his beloved on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll play around with positions and find something that's comfortable for both of us. I actually preferred being on the receiving end, but I don't really like being trapped beneath you."

Saguru nodded and gave his thief a sloppy kiss. "What do you want to do today?"

"I wanna see that Arch of Triumphant…whatever it's called."

"Arc de Triomphe, Love."

"Yeah, that. And…can we go back to the Eiffel Tower around sunset? I didn't really get to enjoy it yesterday, and that was one of the things I really wanted to see. I also wanna get some escargot and pastries. I heard France was known for its pastries. Oh! And I wanna—"

Saguru kissed him mid-sentence. "You're the most adorable creature I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."

"…go to the Museum d'Orsay," Kaito finished, blushing. "…T-Thanks, but…I'm a man."

"Oh, I _know_. Believe me. I remember why my rear end's sore. Your point?" Saguru chuckled.

"Guys aren't cute or adorable. They're cool or handsome or…something manlier," Kaito pouted, only proving Saguru's point.

"You just happen to be all four, Dove." Saguru kissed his love on the cheek and took him by the hand, tugging him towards the door. "Now, come, and let's get you some breakfast before your escargot and pastries and museums and national monuments."

Kaito pressed his lips gently to Saguru's jaw and smiled. "You're all four too."

There was a moment of warm fuzziness before Kaito opened his mouth and ruined it, saying: "And can we go to some sidewalk café for lunch? No offense to your taste in restaurants, but they're too expensive. I just want a place where I can get un sandwich et une salade."

"Whatever you desire, ma cherie," Saguru laughed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. He'd teach Kaito to appreciate the finer things in life eventually.

…

(O O)

) T (

-.-.-

Mikau: It's supposed to be a skull. There are the soulless eyes, the nose, the teeth… Yeah. So, I hope you learned a little bit about Japanese culture and religion compared to western ones this chapter. It was fun to write, though, I have a feeling one of my friends would yell at me if she read it. She'd say something like, "Where's the yaoi! You totally skipped the lovemaking scene! AGAIN!" And to her, I'd say, "Yep." I'll let her take care of the yaoi. I'm a shounen ai writer. (Well, I write het pairings for fandoms where the straight pairings are valid, but…) I care more about the romance, drama, and psychological aspects of the relationships than the physical side of it. I have, however, been thinking about trying my hand at a lemon once for the experience if anyone ever challenged me… Well, have a nice day. Thanks so much for popping in to read!


	7. Omake 4:Death of a Thief A New Beginning

Mikau: Hey everyone! Welcome to what I think will be the last chapter of LLD. I was going to do one more chapter taking a look at the future of the relationship, but there hasn't been much interest lately, and I'm really only doing these omakes for you guys, even though they are fun writing exercises for me. I want to work on other things now like Hakuba and Kaito getting buried alive together and Shinichi and Kaito raising a baby together…although, not in the same fic. Anyway, so I kind of did a look into the future with Kaito and Saguru's conversation at the very end, so just assume that things work out the way they imagine they will (except the part about Kaito getting pregnant). Thanks so much for supporting me thus far, and thanks a bunch to athieisademon and Canadian who reviewed. This chapter is dedicated to Syrus07 and athieisademon who both wanted Kaito to actually confess to being Kid. Enjoy guys, and thanks again!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, there would be more romance—romance EVERYWHERE. Though, did you see last week's Conan with Kazuha's confession? It kind of changed my mind about the HeijixKazuha pairing. I've kind of rolled my eyes at it in the past because it just never goes anywhere, but seeing Kazuha man up and confess like that (even though Heiji ran off before he could hear it) made me think, "Okay, maybe there is something to this pairing after all. Maybe when they both mature a little bit more." Although, part of me is still rooting for Heiji's unrequited love for Shinichi to be returned someday.

….

Omake Four: Death of a Thief,

A New Beginning

It was the following year in April that, following the arrest of a group of gunmen at a Kid heist and their subsequent mysterious deaths, that the Moonlight Magician retired.

Detective Hakuba was extremely surprised to receive a personal summons from the thief a month later in May.

Apparently his long-standing rival wanted to chat for old time's sake. Which was fine with Saguru.

This whole Kid nonsense had been driving a wedge between them longer than they had been a couple, and the blonde had long ago tired of suspending judgment on the thief's actions.

Hakuba Saguru wanted answers, and he was going to get them, even if he had to pretend to break up with his little airhead to accomplish that goal.

"Good evening, Tantei-san," Kid purred from his perch atop the doorway that led down from the roof. His leg swung in a carefree fashion back and forth like a cat's tail flicking in amusement.

Saguru blinked as the white-clad figure leaped from his vantage point, landing in a crouch a few feet away and then slowly, gracefully rising to his feet. "Good evening," the detective returned, absentmindedly noting how handsome his boyfriend looked in uniform.

But _Kid_ had called him "Tantei-san." Business first, then.

Although…judging by the romantic candlelight dinner spread out on the table…hmm.

"Sorry if you went to much trouble preparing this exquisite rooftop, candlelight dinner in hopes of wooing me, Kaitou Kid-san, but I have to tell you that I already have a boyfriend that I'm hopelessly devoted to, and I wouldn't dream of cheating on him," Saguru stated firmly, wondering what his beloved's response would be.

"I didn't mean to give you the wrong idea, Tantei-san," Kid chuckled, strolling over to the table and taking the seat furthest from the doorway and closest to the edge of the roof.

Saguru frowned, thinking, _"Kaito, I'm not going to turn on you; don't act like a frightened animal."_

"The purpose of the dinner is to give me something to do with my hands while providing you with something of a distraction so that you don't just stare at me the whole time." Kid's head was tilted down so that his hat and the shadows hid his expression, but judging by the tone of his voice, he was so nervous that he was beyond the point of freaking out. He'd shut his emotions down to avoid losing control.

Hakuba strode across the rooftop and took a seat at the table across from his…lover? Friend? Rival? "Kid-san, would you mind explaining to me why we are here? I was under the impression that you were retired."

"I am. This is my retirement party. Part two, anyway. I already celebrated with Nakamori-keibu…well…if you call tying him up and gagging him a party. Some do. I don't. That man deserved an explanation more than anyone, but…you deserve an explanation too, so…ask me anything you want. For tonight only, I won't lie. I put this on one final time for you, but once I take it off tonight, that's it. The Kaitou Kid will be dead, and dead men tell no tales. This is your only chance because, after tonight, I'm never talking about this again. I just want to put this all behind me…the most frightening, exhilarating, heartbreaking experience of my life…. No pressure, though."

That was Kaito's sad little chuckle. The detective would recognize it anywhere.

Saguru gulped, opening his mouth and closing it a few times before he finally asked, "There's just one thing that I want to ask you…why would you do such a thing? Why do you steal? For what purpose?" he repeated the words he had asked the thief the first time that they had faced off.

Kid looked up, and utter pain was reflected in Kaito's beautiful purple eyes. "Because something was once stolen from me."

The detective blinked. That was unexpected. "What was?"

"M-My dad," Kaito replied honestly, letting the poker face go and allowing tears to build in the corners of his eyes. "The people who were arrested and died…the people that have been trying to kill me…they killed him."

Saguru hesitantly reached out and took the thief's hand. He was surprised when Kid didn't retract it.

Kid let Hakuba comfort him. There was no need to act impervious anymore. It was okay to show all of the weakness and hurt. It was his one chance to put everything out in the open, let his wounds get some fresh air so that they could begin to heal.

"When I was about sixteen, a little more than a year before you showed up, I discovered that my father was not the man I had thought him to be. He was Kaitou 1412. I found the secret hideout, the gadgets, the outfit, and I was confused. At the time, someone else had resurrected Kid in order to draw out the people who had murdered my father, but…I didn't know it was a fake, so I put on the uniform and went to confront the other Kid. I thought that maybe it was…" Kaito bit his lip, trying to hold back his tears.

Even though there was no need to hide anymore, he still didn't want to sob like a baby and look uncool in front of the detective like that.

Saguru nodded, giving his friend's hand a little reassuring squeeze.

The poor thing had thought that it might be his father.

"…but it wasn't. I took the first fake's place in order to draw out the men who murdered my dad. It started out as revenge, but when I discovered who they were and why my father had been killed, I put on the uniform to protect people. They were searching for something that, if found, would probably bring about a lot of deaths. I wanted to find it first and destroy it," Kaito confessed, staring down at his empty plate.

"And you did, didn't you?"

Kaito? Kid? It was hard to tell at this point, but he nodded.

"And…now you can retire?" Saguru queried.

The man across the table nodded once more.

"Are you safe? Will they come after you again? If your life is in danger, Kaito…u Kid, I will protect you," the detective vowed vehemently.

Kaito blushed, a small smile gracing his lips. "I think I'll be okay. Thank you, Tantei-san. They've never come after me out of uniform before, so…but…thank you."

Saguru was quiet for a moment, desperately trying to think of if there was anything else he needed to ask before asking was no longer an option. He didn't want to put Kaito through any more pain or suffering after this night was over and done with.

Finally it came to him. "Is there anything you need to get off your chest, or is there anything else you _want_ to tell me?"

The great thief blinked and was, for once, shocked into silence. He thought about the question, really considering it before he turned to look his rival and friend in the eye. He opened his mouth and just started talking.

He talked for a good hour about every heist, every escapade, every showdown with Snake and his men, every bullet, every regret, every secret, every tear, every smirk, and anything and everything else that crossed his mind until he couldn't think of another darn thing to say.

And Saguru just listened. At times he wanted to stop the thief—give him a hug or tell him that he'd done the right thing. He wanted to yell and scold his beloved for being so stupid and reckless. He wanted to throw his arms around his darling and thank whatever higher power that cared that Kaito was okay. However, he didn't say a word. He did nothing more than squeeze Kid's hand reassuringly until an hour and thirty-two minutes, twelve point nine seconds later, Kaito stopped.

The brunette took a deep breath and sighed. "That's…that's it, I think."

"Feel free to say more later, if you need to. I'll listen. No matter what time of the day or night, if you need to talk, I'll listen," Hakuba assured.

Kid nodded.

Silence reigned as both men took stock of what had happened.

"Is there…anything else?" Kid inquired shakily.

"I'd like to ask…just who are you under there, but I feel I haven't earned the right to know…at least…I feel that _you_ don't owe me anything. I didn't earn the right to this conversation from you. Perchance, if you were my best friend or my exotic little Japanese lover or the man I plan to marry someday, I'd have every right to know your identity. Someone like that would owe me a confession, but you, as Kid, don't owe me anything. I haven't caught you. I have no proof. You're not cornered or anything. I have no right to ask you for any more than you've given me already."

"Idiot," Kid sighed, standing and coming around to Saguru's side of the table.

The detective blinked.

"Stand up."

Saguru did as bid, noting that Kid was precisely his boyfriend's height.

"Now…take it off," Kid whispered, looking down at his feet.

"B-Beg pardon?" the blonde choked.

"First the cape," Kid snorted. "Then take off my jacket, the gloves, the tie, and then the hat. Leave the monocle for a moment until I tell you it's okay…. When you're ready, Tantei-san." Kid gulped.

Saguru gulped. "A-Are you sure?"

"We'll find out in a minute," the thief chuckled nervously, and it was all Kaito.

"Okay," the detective whispered, taking a deep breath before carefully reaching out to undo the cape, following Kid's directions.

Next, he removed the jacket ever so slowly…carefully, just in case there were any fun little capsules or gadgets inside. He folded both items with great ceremony and set them down on the seat he had just vacated.

After that, the gloves and tie came off, joining their friends on the chair. On top of those he placed the grand top hat.

All that was left was the monocle.

Kaito took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, breathed, opened them, breathed, and then swallowed. He looked straight into that pair of golden eyes and said in a shaky voice, "Okay. Be careful with the monocle. It's a memento of my father."

"Understood, Kid-san." Hakuba was a little surprised to find himself just about as nervous as the kaitou as he reached up and his fingers touched the metal and glass.

"Tantei-san…" Kid breathed, his hand flying up to hold Saguru's in place. "I…Thank you. Thank you for chasing me. Before…I had many acquaintances, but very few friends. Somewhere along the way, I started considering you to be one of my few real friends, and I…just…thank you. I'm really going to miss what we had. I'm going to miss running from you; I never had a better opponent…well, there was Tantei-kun, but—"

"—Are you trying to be sweet or insulting?" Saguru grumbled. Stupid four-eyed brat.

"Sweet, my dearest detective. Sweet," Kid cooed.

"I'm going to miss you too. You're the only one that's ever come close to matching me in a game of wits…well, there is my boyfriend, but—"

"—Don't be a tease, Sir," Kid chuckled.

Saguru smiled. "I want to thank you as well. Thanks to you, I came here. Because of that, I made friends…real friends, you included, naturally, and…thanks to you, I met the man of my dreams and found happiness. I owe it all to you, even if this started out as a search for vengeance. I want you to know that you've brought about a lot of good, so…thank you, Kid-san."

Kid nodded. "Thank you for that. It means a lot to me."

Saguru took a deep breath. "Ready?"

Kid swallowed hard. "Yeah. Goodbye, Tantei-san. It was an honor knowing you."

"You too, Kid-san," Saguru whispered. "Rest in peace."

"Thank you." Kid smiled—a genuine smile in place of his usual grins. "I will."

Saguru removed his hand, and with it the monocle.

He set it down with great care on the table and turned to face Kuroba Kaito, wearing a cotton tank top and baggy cargo shorts. "Hey, Saguru. Whacha doin'?"

"Saying goodbye to an old friend," the detective replied with a sad smile. "When did you get here, Dove?"

"Few seconds ago." Kaito gave him a matching smile as he shrugged nonchalantly.

Saguru wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and chuckled. "That was a little melodramatic of both of us, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but there was no other way we could have done it. That guy lived and breathed drama," Kaito whispered back. "Anything less would have been an insult to his memory."

"Right you are," Saguru mumbled, enjoying the sensation of their bodies pressing together, no longer separated by secrets, only clothes.

"Kid was a nutcase," Kaito snickered, nipping Saguru's jaw.

"I'm glad you know that," the detective laughed, nuzzling his beloved's hair. "…I'm sorry."

"For what?" Kaito whispered into his detective's neck.

"I never knew how much pain you were in. I'm sorry, Kaito. I wish I could have done something to help you. Why did you never ask for help? Why didn't you say anything? If I had known, I could have done something," Saguru replied fervently, holding his darling tight.

"Because knowledge is dangerous," Kaito muttered in a voice that wasn't quite his own. "Knowledge can get people killed, and what's worse than keeping such a dark, soul-eating secret all to yourself is telling someone else and having to live with the guilt of knowing that they were tortured and killed because you couldn't tough it out and deal with it on your own." And then Kaito pulled back, looking up in confusion at his boyfriend. "What are you talking about?"

Saguru blinked, but then he understood. "You were really serious when you said you wouldn't say another word about it once that uniform came off, weren't you?"

Kaito blinked, raising an eyebrow.

The blonde just shook his head and chuckled. "Never mind. I'm glad that you're alive and well, Dove."

"Me too. Why are you acting like such a weirdo?" Kaito grinned smugly.

Saguru shook his head again, kissing the smaller boy on the forehead.

Kaito giggled. "So…there's all this food here. You hungry?"

"Only if you are." Saguru shrugged.

"Not really," Kaito sighed, shrugging one shoulder. "Not unless you are."

"There's only one thing I'm hungry for, and it's not on that table. Well, it could be…" Saguru smiled, and there was something absolutely feral about it. "…but that inflatable mattress over there looks more comfortable. What do you think?"

"I wouldn't be opposed to a table at some point in time, but it'd have to be bigger than this one. The inflatable mattress looks good to me." The imp smirked, taking his boyfriend by the hand and pulling him over to the makeshift bed.

000

"Saguru?" Kaito whispered later as they dozed, cuddling under the single blanket the inflatable mattress had come furnished with.

"Hm?" the Brit mumbled in response.

"Thank you for still loving me."

"Idiot," Saguru snorted, massaging the little brunette's scalp with one hand. "I've loved you for four years. Do you really think I'd stop just because my suspicions about your extracurricular activities turned out to be correct?"

"Part of me did," Kaito mumbled into Saguru's collarbone.

"An irrational part of you," the detective snorted fondly. "May I remind you that I fell for the man wearing the monocle first?"

"Saguru?"

"Yes, my love?" Saguru chuckled. The vibrations of Kaito's lips against his throat tickled.

"What are we going to do now? I mean…after we graduate next March?" Kaito's fingers absentmindedly traced patterns on the blonde's bare chest.

"Well…what do you think you'll be able to do in Japan with a degree in the performing arts with an emphasis in technical and musical theatre?" He couldn't resist.

"You know what I meant, Guru," Kaito pouted, taking a bite out of his boyfriend's shoulder.

"That's not a chew toy," Saguru laughed through the negligible pain. "Stop that before I give you something else to chew on."

"Oh? You mean this?" Kaito chuckled, giving his third favorite of Saguru's body parts a friendly squeeze. "I like chewing on this."

"Bad boy," Saguru whispered, pressing a gentle kiss into his darling's soft mess of hair.

"I meant…what are we going to do now as a couple?" Kaito shifted uneasily in Saguru's arms. "What's next?"

"I'm going to try my hand at starting a detective agency. We'll see how it goes, but I'm famous enough that I should draw customers. You'll most likely become the most celebrated street performer in Tokyo and eventually land some sort of official gig that leads to you becoming world famous. In the meantime, I'll pay back those student loans you foolishly took out because your pride wouldn't allow you to let me pay your tuition."

"Saguru, I'm gonna pay those back by myself," Kaito insisted, pulling away to glare defiantly down at his love. He soon realized that, despite it being a fairly nice night in May, it was too cold without Saguru's body heat. He went back to cuddling. "I can't rely on you like that all the time. I want to be financially independent."

Saguru snorted. "Kaito, what you want is to be free, and in order to be free, you're going to have to accept the fact that you're financially dependent upon me. I don't care, and you shouldn't either. I know you feel like you're using me, but the truth is that I like it when you need me to pay for things. It makes me feel like a man. Besides, I'm not going to let you work some waitressing job and ruin your hands washing dishes for my sake. We both know that you only went to college to be with me. Kaito, you don't need a degree to be a stage performer. I'm sure you learned some valuable stuff, but you could have just started out as a street performer after high school and already have had your own show. So…I'm going to pay back your student loans for you. Okay?"

Kaito smiled softly into Saguru's collarbone. "'Kay. Thanks, Guru."

"Don't worry about it, Dove." Saguru took a breath and continued. "After we're both doing pretty well for ourselves, I'm going to propose to you, and—"

"—You're not gonna take me to some ridiculously expensive restaurant or fly me to some other country, are you?" Kaito interrupted.

"If I do, will you freak out and say no like you did when we tried making love for the first time?" Hakuba narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe," Kaito mumbled sheepishly.

"You'd better not," Prince Charming grumbled. "Fine. I'll make sure to make it the most romantic evening of your life to date in the least ostentatious way possible."

"It would be appreciated," the smaller boy sighed. "Then what?"

"Then we get married wherever you want—Fiji, Hawaii, Cancun—just name it."

"Tokyo," Kaito stated firmly. "All of my friends and family live in Tokyo, and not all of them can afford to fly halfway across the world for my non-legally binding, symbolic ceremony—No, I don't want you to fly them all to Fiji or wherever. I want a low-budget wedding."

"Are you serious?" Hakuba gasped incredulously. He had always dreamed of a lavish wedding.

"Like a heart attack," Kaito hissed. "No fairytale wedding. Period. No. I want a cheap reception hall, a cheap DJ, a cheap cake, and some cheap party favors."

Kaito had expected his boyfriend to argue in some way, shape, or form, but the Brit was silent.

"Saguru?"

"Did you ever think that it's my wedding too?" the detective mumbled.

Kaito sighed. "Sorry. I just assumed that you wanted an expensive wedding because it was another one of those things that you think I deserve."

"You do deserve it, but I deserve it too."

The magician nodded. "Okay, Guru. We'll do the wedding your way, but the proposal's gotta be simple. For once in your life, go cheap. Don't get me some kind of personalized ring."

"I already had the rings made," the Brit announced.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Kaito howled.

"I am, but I've thought of the design I want," Hakuba chuckled.

"And?" the older boy sighed.

"It's very simple, yet meaningful: a plain gold band with the Hakuba family crest and that clover symbol on the triangle piece of your monocle. Our names will be engraved on the inside. Well?" Saguru bit his lip in anxious anticipation.

Kaito blinked. "You know, I actually really like that."

"I'm glad. I was considering something elaborate, but I figured you wouldn't go for it," Saguru chuckled.

"Yeah…and then what? We get married, go on a honeymoon, and then…?" Kaito glanced up out of the corner of his eye at his beloved.

"We get a house, and two years later, we discover that, by some miracle, you're pregnant." The blonde bit his lip to keep from snickering.

"Why am I the one who has to get pregnant?" Kaito grumbled.

"Based on how we usually make love, it's statistically more likely that you'll be the one to get pregnant," Saguru pointed out.

"And you'll tend to me with slavish devotion while I'm pregnant?" the former thief went along with it.

"Oh, I'll tend to you with slavish devotion from the moment we marry to the day that I die," Saguru swore.

"Slaves don't die," Kaito snorted. "They get buried alive with their masters. Don't die before I do."

Saguru pulled his love closer, moving in to give him a passionate kiss. "Anything to make you happy, Dove."

"Good," Kaito chuckled, looking down at his love with slavish devotion written in his eyes. "Same goes for me too, Saguru."

….

(^.^)b-b- "Mikau approved."

Mikau: They're finger guns. So, my mother took some pictures of me and made them into a collage to send out along with my graduation announcements, but she sent them to me first for approval. I'm told that I'm very photogenic, but I think that's a lie. I'm always really critical of the way my smile and eyes look in pictures. Anyway, I texted her "Kara approved." My brother and I have this inside joke where I say "Mikau approved" and do the finger guns thing, so I had to come up with some way to convey finger guns through a text-based medium. This is what I came up with. Well, that's it. Thank you so much for coming along with me for the ride, and thanks to all of you who reviewed and sent in requests. I had a lot of fun with the omakes. Take care everyone! Hopefully we'll meet again some day.


End file.
